Villagers fear that rival armed ethnic organisations fighting each other in northern Shan State will forcibly recruit their young men and even their youth in northern Shan State.

A spokesman for the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) told SHAN, that the armed ethnic organisation recruits men twice a year in townships it claims.

Villagers protested against the SSPP in Muse Township after it was rumoured to have abducted a 10-year-old boy from Nam Oum village on August 8. But the incident did not actually take place.

What did happen, however, was that the SSPP compiled a list of all children between the ages of 8 and 12 in the community, which fueled fears among some villagers about the reasons for collecting this kind of data, leading them to fear their children would be taken into the army.

Both the SSPP and Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) have recently conducted forced recruitment in villages in northern Shan State, and some young people have fled their homes to avoid being taken.

Local residents informed SHAN, that the RCSS abducted 10 male youths from Hsipaw Township on August 5.

“We pleaded with them not to take the youths during the pandemic COVID -19, but they did not listen to us. The parents were crying for their children,” said a man from San Hpeik village-tract where the incident occurred.

According to a female source, both SHAN EAOs have also recently forcibly youths from Kyaukme Township.

An RCSS spokesman denied these allegations. “Currently, our soldiers are not recruiting new soldiers from these areas… It was probably another armed organisation that did that.”

Thousands have been displaced by fighting between RCSS and SSPP in Kyaukme and Hsipaw townships, and in southern Shan State in Kehsi and Mong Nawng townships.

The EAOs have ignored requests by Shan Buddhist monks and the Shan community to meet for dialogue to end the conflict.

The Ta’ang National Liberation Army also recruits young men in Namkham, Namtu and Lashio townships, northern Shan State. Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army has abducted youth from Lashio, Hsenwi, and Kutkai townships and Kachin Independence Army has also abducted youth from northern Shan State.