Armed conflict in Kachin and parts of Shan State is continuing, despite ongoing ceasefire talks between the Myanmar Government and ethnic armed groups, Burma News International reported on 22 June quoting the Karen Information Centre.
Free Burma Rangers (FBR), a humanitarian organisation delivering frontline assistance to civilians across Myanmar, estimates that there were 127 armed clashes in April and May alone causing hundreds of casualties including both civilians and soldiers.
“This period has seen a major escalation in conflict with heavy fighting in the Kokang Region, Northern Shan State, between the Burma Army and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army’s (MNDAA),” A FBR report said.
The FBR report noted that the “Burma Army has massively increased its troop levels in the region and has engaged in major military operations, including the use of tanks, heavy artillery barrages and the alleged use of chemical weapons.”
The Kachin Women’s Association of Thailand said that the overall situation in Northern Myanmar had deteriorated sharply this year.
“Since February 2015, an estimated 100,000 people have been displaced from the Kokang area, adding to over 120,000 already displaced in Kachin areas since 2011.”
KWAT has documented more than 70 cases of sexual violence perpetrated by government forces since the conflict started.