Farmers in Kyaukme Township, northern Shan State, are struggling to harvest their crops after discovering unexploded ordnance (UXO) and landmines in their fields, according to residents.

Following clashes between junta troops and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), unexploded artillery shells and landmines have been found in corn and sugarcane fields across villages in the Nawng Ping village tract since early December. The presence of explosive remnants of war has made it too dangerous for farmers to enter their fields during peak harvest season.

“I went to pick corn and found a landmine. A few days ago, we discovered a buried mine, and yesterday we found two unexploded artillery shells only about 15 feet apart,” said a local woman who encountered the explosives. “Now we don’t dare go to the fields. I can’t hire workers either. If something happens, I’ll be responsible.”

Nawng Pyit Village in the Nawng Ping tract has seen repeated clashes between TNLA joint forces and junta troops. Residents said officials later came to remove the UXO that had been discovered.
But the ongoing threat has left farmers without laborers, delaying the harvest and putting their livelihoods at risk.

“It’s impossible to hire anyone. We can only collect what we can by ourselves,” another resident said. “If we don’t harvest in time, the corn stalks will collapse and termites will eat everything. We’re scared because we don’t know where mines were planted during the fighting.”

Humanitarian organizations warn that unexploded mines and improvised devices pose a persistent danger, urging civilians not to touch suspicious objects, avoid unfamiliar areas, and alert others immediately.

Kyaukme Township has already recorded multiple casualties due to landmines. On October 10, Nang Hom, a 40-year-old woman from Nawng Ping Village, lost her foot after stepping on a mine while preparing a nursery bed in her home compound.

Residents say that although some IDPs have returned to villages in the Nawng Ping sub-township, no systematic mine clearance has been carried out. Between late September and late October alone, at least four people—including women—were killed, and four others were injured after stepping on landmines.