The missing men are ethnic Danu, Shan and Ta’ang, the village administrator said.

Ten local men are still missing since clashes occurred between ethnic armed organizations on the Hsipaw-Namtu road in northern Shan State on March 1.

According to members of the community from which the people went missing—Mangli—the men have not been heard from since fighting broke out between the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army and joint forces belonging to the Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army.

“There were intense battles on March 1 and 2. Villagers were fleeing in many directions,” Mangli village administrator Ko Thar Oo told SHAN. “Nobody knows where the missing people are. We knew on March 3 that they had gone missing in the clashes. Among them, volunteer worker Sai Nge is one of the missing people.”

Ko Thar Oo said he last saw Sai Nge with others near the Mangli-Mohtay bridge on March 1. He disappeared after trying to pick up other people who were leaving the village.

The missing men are ethnic Danu, Shan and Ta’ang, the village administrator added.

According to Mangli locals, the Burma Army has taken control of security on the road from Mangli to Hsipaw and reportedly removed landmines from around the village.

Suggesting that the villagers had been taken by an armed group, Ko Thar Oo said he “wanted to request their release.”

“They have wives, children, and elderly parents. They are true villagers,” he explained, emphasizing that they are not affiliated with any armed organization.

Clashes between ethnic armed groups have displaced more than 2,400 people in northern Shan state. The displaced people continue to be in need of food and other emergency assistance.