UN warns of worsening refugee conditions in Kachin and Shan states

A Kachin refugee took a rest on the path to Manwing aftef the govenment troops attacked Nam Lim Pa camp in southern Kachin state on Nov. 18, 2013

The UN office for the Coordination of humanitarian affairs (OCHA) warned on Friday that “an increase in insecurity and the displacement of thousands of people over the past weeks in southern Kachin State and northern Shan State” has made access to the more than 3,000 people the UN estimates to have been recently displaced in the area “increasingly difficult”.

The UN and other aid groups fear that conditions will worsen significantly during the rainy season which will begin very soon. “The approaching rainy season will bring higher risks of flooding and water-borne diseases, so water, sanitation, and hygiene will increasingly be a priority in humanitarian interventions over the next weeks”, warned Florent Turc, Field Coordinator for the French NGO Solidarités International in the UN statement.

“The deteriorating security situation is already hampering access to the affected areas and the poor conditions of the roads during the rainy season will make it even more difficult to respond from now on,” Turc added.

Recent clashes in Shan state involved KIA and deposed MNDAA Kokang faction

The recent round of clashes between Burma army forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) began on 10 April in south eastern Kachin state and continued for much of April. Clashes in neighbouring northern Shan also began in April and continued until as recently as May 12.

On May 10, fighting broke out in Northern Shan State's Muse District at a place between Mone-ko (or Munggu) and Paung Hsing villages. These clashes involved troops from Burma Army Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) -507 and LIB-568 and troops from Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) Battalion 818, KIA Battalion-38 and troops loyal to the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) faction that controlled Kokang until 2009, according to a statement issued by the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), an alliance of Burma's armed ethnic groups. The UNFC claimed that 7 Burma troops died in these clashes.

On the evening of May 12 fighting broke out between the TNLA Battalion-256 and Tatmadaw Division LID-77, at place between Munpat and Hsam-ngam villages in Namsam Township, the UNFC said. The TNLA are a close ally of the KIA.

Last week KIO leaders and their counterparts from the government met for talks in the Kachin state capital Myitkyina, there was no significant breakthrough at these talks. An open meeting held by the KIO in Myitkyina last Wednesday was well attended by members of the public who turned out to hear Major General Gun Maw and his fellow members of the UNFC speak.