By Lun Min Mang / Myanmar Times | January 10,  2017

Nine civil society groups have called for an urgent end to ongoing hostilities in Kachin and Shan states as refugees face a shortage of food and supplies.

U Gum Sha Awng, spokesperson of the Joint Strategy Team, said the government and the armed ethnic organisations must come together to solve the fighting through political means as it is taking a large toll on civilians.

“There are two things which must be done urgently. One is to ensure the safety of civilians. The other is to deliver emergency assistance to them as they have been forced to flee their camps because of nearby shellings recently in Kachin State,” he said.

According to a January 8 statement by the JST, “Fighting still continues in the surrounding areas of Lai Hpawng

[Waingmaw township] and motor attacks and air strikes are taking place almost every day.”

The air strike have forced at least one camp, Zai Awng, to relocate after it was struck on December 27, and evacuated on January 8.

“They are now in urgent need of health and education assistance. We call for this situation to be tackled as soon as possible,” U Gum Sha Awng said.

In northern Shan State where thousands have returned after fleeing to China in November, officials have imposed severe travel restrictions on residents, said the JST. State-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported in the last week of December that about 10,000 people who fled the Northern Alliance fighting have since returned to Myanmar.

However, U Gum Sha Awng added that about 300 people remain in China with relatives.

According to the JST statement, an estimated 600 civilians are trapped in Kawng Lung, Man Kang, Kawn Sam, Ki La Pa, Pang Hkawn, Htingra Hkyet and Nawng Jang villages, surrounded by ongoing fighting.

More than 1700 IDPs are also stuck at Hpai Kawng, a post along the China-Myanmar border due to “security reasons” in their original villages, said the statement.

“The government’s armed forces and police told the IDPs [they cannot] yet return to their original villages because of the security concerns,” said U Gum Sha Awng.

The JST statement added that, “All of them depend on local humanitarian assistance and individual donation for their daily survival. Humanitarian access and protection are key concerns.”

The JST also said that the two missing church leaders from Mong Koe Kachin Baptist Church have still not been found after they disappeared on December 24 before reportedly heading to a military outpost. The President’s Office has recently denied the allegation that the missing men may have been taken into custody by the Tatmadaw. The families of the church leaders filed a missing persons report last week.

The Northern Alliance – a coalition of the Kachin Independence Army, the Myanamar National Democratic Alliance Army, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army and the Arakan Army – have been fighting the Tatmadaw since November. The fighting initially disrupted the China-Myanmar border trade, and caused more than 15,000 to seek shelter in China. Civilian casualties and injuries have also been reported.

“The situation is chaotic and precarious. The safety of the IDPs is our utmost concern,” the JST said.

This article originally appeared on Myanmar Times on January 10, 2017.

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