Widespread fear has gripped northern Shan State as Myanmar’s military steps up aerial bombardments in Kyaukme and Hsipaw townships, forcing thousands of civilians to flee their homes.

Since early July, the State Administrative Council (SAC) has carried out at least ten airstrikes targeting areas controlled by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), according to local sources. The attacks have triggered a new wave of mass displacement and deepened the region’s humanitarian crisis.

Terrified residents from affected villages have sought refuge in Namlan town and across the Hsipaw Bridge in areas such as Hsutlan and Konethar, now under the control of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA).

“The bombings have caused widespread panic. Entire families are fleeing, and those who remain face hunger and hopelessness. There’s no aid at all,” a Hsipaw resident told SHAN.

In the MNDAA-administered Nawngmun Village Tract in Lashio Township, nearly 1,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Hsipaw and Kyaukme are in urgent need of food and basic supplies, relief workers report.

“Military aircraft are still flying overhead. Markets are nearly empty, and vendors remain, but no one dares to buy. Even our local hospital was bombed. We have no access to medical care,” said a displaced woman from Hsipaw.

Kyaukme, a major TNLA stronghold, has seen widespread evacuations as residents flee to nearby villages like Nawngping. Rural communities face an agonizing dilemma: abandon their farms during harvest season or risk remaining in the path of ongoing violence.

“We’re expecting to lose about 70% of our crops this season. If fighting spreads to Kyaukme, the consequences will be disastrous,” said a local farmer. Livestock owners have also raised concerns, warning of feed shortages and soaring prices in the coming weeks.

In Nawngping, humanitarian groups say more than 2,000 IDPs from Nawnghkio (Naung Cho) are now sheltering in overcrowded conditions, placing immense pressure on already scarce resources.

Between June 24 and July 22, SAC airstrikes have killed at least 13 civilians and injured more than 30 in 12 separate attacks: seven in Kyaukme, four in Hsipaw, and one in Mong Ngaw. The situation escalated further after the SAC announced its takeover of Nawnghkio on July 16, prompting fears of a ground offensive toward Kyaukme.

With no signs of de-escalation, displaced families are bracing for a prolonged crisis. Aid workers warn that without immediate humanitarian support, the situation could spiral into a full-blown emergency.