Persistent fighting along the road from Myitkyina-Bhamo road, near the de facto headquarters of the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO), has continued to cause traffic disruptions in Kachin State.

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KIO spokesperson Col Naw Bu said, “The road has been closed due to the clashes in Namsan Yang area and will be reopened once the military situation stabilises.”

The KIO’s armed wing, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), has been clashing with regime troops since 3 July near Namsan Yang along the road and just a few kilometres from Laiza.

“We’re fighting after the Burma army invaded our territory,” he said, explaining that about 100 enemy soldiers arrived last month. “They fired heavy shells yesterday (4 July).”

The same day, a KIO statement said, “Cars and motorbikes aren’t allowed on the road from Bhamo to Myitkyina. Locals need to be aware of the clashes before travelling to the area.”

Few villagers have stayed in Namsan Yang, Naw Bu said. Mostly children and the elderly have fled the clashes, but he couldn’t give figures on how many have been affected by the ongoing violence.

For many of them, it wasn’t the first time they had to flee clashes. Fighting between the KIA and Burma army in 2011 forced them to move to a displaced camp. In 2018, they moved back after the armed groups promised not to station troops near their village. However, some villagers blame the current unrest on the regime, which is said to have sent soldiers to the area several times since the 2021 coup d’état.

Col Naw Bu said the violence would continue to escalate unless the junta withdrew its troops from the Namsan Yang area.