Myanmar’s military seized power on February 1, 2021, stifling the democracy movement and targeting ethnic and religious minorities. For three years it has been locked in armed conflict with an alliance of ethnic groups. Now, amid key successes for the armed resistance, the military government has stepped up its response.
Escalating battles
In late 2023, over 200 of the junta’s army bases have been overrun by ethnic armed groups belonging to the Three Brotherhood Alliance, which is fighting to restore civilian rule and minority rights in Myanmar. The defeats signaled a significant loss of control and morale for the government. Government forces are desperately trying to reverse their losses, bombing entire villages and towns, regardless of civilian casualties.
In one of the latest attacks, four people were reported killed and 15 injured in a junta airstrike on a hospital 20 miles north of the town of Mindat in southern Chin state on April 25.
Earlier this month several thousand people from Myanmar’s Karen State crossed the border into Thailand amid escalating battles between junta forces and ethnic Karen troops, according to Thai officials. The fighting saw the strategic border town of Myawaddy fall to rebels before being retaken by the army.
2.8 million displaced
Those caught up in the fighting are facing a rapidly deteriorating situation. Fearing torture, rape and bombs, they are fleeing in droves to hide in forests in the border regions. Often, they have had to leave everything behind.
According to a UN report, over 2.8 million people in the country have been displaced, 90 percent of them since the military takeover. Christian ethnic groups, such as the Chin and Karen, and Rohingya Muslims – who predominantly live in conflict zones – are particularly affected. These groups have already experienced decades of persecution by Myanmar’s successive military governments, who have tried to promote national unity based on Burmese and Buddhist identity.
The Karen National Union says the number of people displaced by fighting in Karen State has risen to more than 700,000 people since the coup – half of its population.
Tens of thousands have fled to safety in neighboring Thailand, Bangladesh and India. Living in makeshift camps they face a lack of food and medical care, education and employment opportunities.
Food for 3,000 people
In the Indian border region, an additional problem is that the countless refugees are considered illegal immigrants. They try to survive as day laborers but struggle to find food for their families as the camps are located in very remote areas. A third of the children under the age of five are moderately to severely malnourished.
In Mizoram state, northeastern India, most of the refugees have fled the ongoing atrocities in Chin state. CSI’s partners are distributing rice, beans and oil at six distribution points, or “food banks,” at significantly reduced prices. Currently, 3,000 people are benefiting from the project.
The aim is that the refugees will later provide for themselves through a food bank that they manage themselves. People who work in agriculture can “borrow” food, which they then return at harvest time.
Help to survive
“We had no more money. It was such a relief to receive shelter and food,” says Awli, a mother of two and former teacher. Awli never thought she would find herself living as a refugee and struggling to survive. She prays daily for all those who help deliver food aid in the camp and who support the program financially.
Kaurei, one of those who distributes food, confirms the value of the project. “It helps people with low incomes,” he says. “They can buy subsidized food on credit and pay for it at the end of the month.”
