Eighty-one villagers, including a one-month-old baby, displaced by the conflict in northern Shan State have fled to Hu Suan, Kyaukme Township. A man from the village told SHAN the internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Kein Kai village desperately need food and shelter.

The source said they sought shelter from clashes between Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and members of Northern Alliance, Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA). The ethnic armed organisations are engaged in sporadic fighting around Kein Kai, Hein Woe and Pan Tawng villages.

Another source told SHAN there was no time for the villagers to bring food or other supplies when the violence happened near their homes. Among the IDPs, there are 59 females and 22 males. An additional 30 IDPs are staying with relatives in Kyaukme town, where there is a COVID-19 outbreak.

Fighting between RCSS and SSPP near Tar Lon and Ner Salawng, also in Kyaukme Township, forced 105 villagers to seek refuge on July 23 at Buddhist monasteries around Poong Woe.

The abbot from Pon Woe monastery told SHAN they urgently need emergency support. Although he managed to collect some rations for the IDPs, mostly elderly, women and children, they need more food, as well as medicine, blankets and mosquito netting. The abbot explained 70 are staying at a monastery in Nawng Sin village while 35 are sleeping at Hae Kwee monastery.

In July, fighting in Kyaukme Township has prevented over 700 villagers from returning to their tea plantations during the harvest time.

In nearby Hsipaw Township, Maj Sai Kham San, RCSS spokesperson, told SHAN they fought with SSPP in Wan Seim village in Nam Lan sub township on July 26, predicting violence in the area to continue.