Residents of more than 40 villages in Kyaukkyi Township, Bago Region are being forced to flee because of the junta’s human rights violations, said the Karen Emergency Relief Committee (KERC), on 21 August.

A KERC spokesperson said: “The Military Council has displayed a disregard for the well-being of civilians, treating them as enemies rather than their own citizens. Also, the military council has resorted to opening fire on innocent civilians.”

People are fleeing because the junta has been launching artillery and airstrikes on the villages and arbitrarily arresting villagers in Kyaukkyi Township.

So far only 8,000 displaced people from 10 of the 40 affected villages have been identified and recorded as internally displaced people (IDPs), according to the KERC, which said it is continuing to register the remainig IDPs from the other 30 villages.

The IDPs are at risk from rain and other poor conditions, there are also cases of dengue and malaria. They are in need of drinking water, food, medicines, and other basic necessities such as healthcare and education, according to KERC.

Over 600,000 people have had to flee their homes in Karen National Union (KNU) controlled areas due to artillery fire, airstrikes, murder and human rights abuses by junta forces. They are currently in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.