After the Karenni resistance groups launched the 1111 Operation to seize Loikaw, the capital of Karenni State, the number of Karenni internally displaced persons (IDPs) has significantly increased in camps in Hsihseng Township in southern Shan State.

According to a camp committee, there are now more than 10,000 IDPs, including new arrivals in Hsihseng Township, with over double the number being women and children.

A member stated, “Some women are pregnant and will give birth soon” and they need extra support. Mothers with newborns couldn’t bring extra clothing for themselves and infants, including diapers. “They really need aid,” the person stressed, while adding that other women need hygienic pads, and they all need soap.

Currently, no donors have provided these items for the IDPs. But local residents have contributed as much food as they can. The committee members are urging private donors and humanitarian organizations to provide the IDPs with much-needed aid.

Most of the IDPs have sought refuge in Yay Phyu, Lazaru, Aung Kalap, and Nawng Htao, as well as Phayar Phyu, Ho Khe, Aung Thabyay, Thiri, Mangalar, and Mya Kan Tha wards in the town of Hsihseng Town.