More than 1,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) from the Kadugyi (Konglong) area of Mawkmai Township, southern Shan State, remain unable to return home despite a recent decrease in fighting, local aid workers said.

Heavy clashes erupted in early February when joint forces of the military council and the Pa-O National Army (PNA) launched an offensive against the former headquarters of the Pa-O National Liberation Army (PNLA) near Ban Mak village. The fighting forced residents from villages including Han Bwa, Nawng Htaw and Ban Mak to flee to Nar Hee village and surrounding areas.

“There are about 1,000 people from five villages in Ban Mak village tract now sheltering in Nar Hee,” a woman assisting displaced families told SHAN. “Most of them are elderly people and children. We are facing food shortages, and drinking water is very scarce because it is the dry season.”

On February 14, military council and allied PNO/PNA forces reportedly seized control of the PNLA headquarters near Ban Mak. Although the intensity of fighting has since declined, displaced residents have not been able to return.

“The fighting only stopped recently, so people cannot go back yet,” the aid worker said. “Some houses were burned down during the clashes. There is still fear, and travel is not safe or convenient.”

Displaced families are currently sheltering in schools, monasteries, community halls and relatives’ homes in Nar Hee village. Aid workers warn that dry-season water shortages are creating serious humanitarian risks, including the potential spread of diarrhea, skin infections and other sanitation-related illnesses.

Security concerns remain acute. On February 14, while civilians were taking refuge, military council and allied PNA forces allegedly fired heavy artillery into Nar Hee village, injuring a woman and a child.

Despite the lull in fighting, residents say conditions remain too unstable for families to return, leaving hundreds of elderly people and children stranded in temporary shelters with limited food, scarce water and no clear timeline for a safe return.