Myitkyina IDP camps suffer serious food shortage

A IDP camp in Jan Mai Kawng Baptist Church in Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin state.

Internally displaced people’s camps in the Myitkyina area are undergoing a serious food shortage because the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has failed to deliver food to some of the camps this month, according to local aid workers.


The camps located in the government controlled capital of Kachin state are home to several thousand refugees displaced by fighting between Burma’s military and the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO).

Three IDP camps located at the N’Jang Dung Kachin Baptist Church, the Dapkawng Kachin Baptist Church and the San Pya Kachin Baptist Church are facing a serious shortage of food due to the delay in WFP food aid.

Preacher Naw Seng, in-charge of the San Pya Kachin Baptist Church camp told Kachin News Group he was very worried about the lack of food.  “We have to buy rice because they (WFP) haven’t come here. Discussions have begun with rice sellers about loans. Initially the problems were solved by using church funds but these are gone now,” he said.

Previously, the WFP regularly distributed basic food such as rice, oil, salt and split peas to the three IDP camps. As of November 24 the three camps have had to buy food from elsewhere, according to the camp officials.

There are over 200 IDPs in each of the three camps and they have not received WFP aid for over a week, according to preacher Naw Seng.  The camp operators are very worried that the food shortage will continue he added.

Salang Lahtaw Tu, head of a household consisting of nine family members who are living in San Pya Camp told the Kachin News Group his difficulties in obtaining food.  “Previously I sent the children with fried rice every day when they went school.  But we’ve haven’t done this for the past few weeks.  We cannot feed the children properly.  I have no idea where I can get an income from,” he said.

The Myitkyina based staff of the Karuna Myanmar Social Services (KMSS), run by the Catholic Church, planned to make assessments of the food situation in the three camps on November 22, however they have yet to do this.  According to local aid workers the delay appears to be because the local staff needs permission from more senior KMSS officials before they can carry out the assessments.

A few international donors provide support to the IDP camps in Myitkyina that are run by the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC). UNHCR supports office running cost and WASH funding.  The WFP supports basic food aid.  While OXFAM supports health and sanitation related funding according to the KBC.  Smaller church groups also provide small amounts funding for the camps.

There are more than 7,000 IDPs in 21 KBC camps in the government-controlled Waingmaw and Myitkyina areas, according to figures provided by KBC.

More than two years of war between government forces and the Kachin Independence Organization has displaced more than 100,000 Kachin civilians. A majority are sheltering in KIO operated camps on the China border, according to the KIO’s IDP and Refugee Relief Committee.

www.kachinnews.com

www.burmese.kachinnews.com

www.kahcin.kachinnews.com

www.kachin-news.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/Kachin-News-Group