Food supplies are rapidly dwindling for more than 2,000 displaced people sheltering in Hsipaw Township, Shan State, with urgent emergency assistance needed, according to aid workers.

A volunteer assisting displaced families in Hsipaw told SHAN that many households now have only about four or five condensed milk tins’ worth of rice left—barely enough for a single day. Donations, once steady, are now sharply declining.

“Very few donors remain, and the displaced people’s food is nearly gone. Some households have only two or three kilos of rice left—enough for just one day for large families,” the volunteer said.

With supplies running out, many displaced people have started taking up whatever casual work they can find to survive. “Some are going out to find work, just doing whatever they come across. If there are no more donors, they will have no choice but to tighten their belts,” the volunteer added.

Most of the displaced in Hsipaw fled clashes in Kyaukme and Nawnghkio areas and rely almost entirely on humanitarian donations.

Meanwhile, in Nawng Ping village tract, Kyaukme Township, junta troops have stationed themselves in several villages and are preventing residents from leaving. Locals say more than 100 civilians are trapped inside Long Kyein village with only about five pyi of rice (roughly 9 kg) remaining for the entire community.

“They only have about five pyi of rice left. No one can enter or leave. For now, they are buying on credit from shops, promising to pay back later. But the situation is very difficult,” a woman from Kyaukme told SHAN.

Villagers say the Military has threatened to shoot anyone attempting to move. “I heard that just last week, they shot and killed a stranger who entered the village. Now they are threatening even locals. No one can go out, and no one is allowed in,” she added.

Ongoing clashes between the junta forces and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), along with airstrikes and artillery fire, have killed many civilians and forced thousands from their homes. Residents of Kyaukme describe their situation as a daily struggle for survival, trapped between hunger and the fear of being shot.

Airstrikes have continued in both Kyaukme and Hsipaw townships following Senior General Min Aung Hlaing’s recent return from China, despite China-brokered talks in Kunming on August 27. The negotiations failed to secure a ceasefire, though further discussions are expected in September.