Displaced civilians who have returned to their villages in the eastern part of Demoso Township, Karenni State, are facing food insecurity due to a lack of income-generating activities, according to aid relief workers.
Currently, families with livestock are selling their cows, buffaloes, and chickens to meet their food needs, an aid worker told Kantarawaddy Times.
“Some families who have members working abroad and some with livestock are relatively better off as they can sell their animals. Those families with livestock have something to sell like cows, even if they cannot sell them whole, they can sell them as meat. But families without any income source are struggling. Families who don’t have anything like animals to sell are worried that they will run out of food,” said the aid worker.
The villages rely on farming as their main source of income. However, since the military council entered the area in late March 2023, the villagers are afraid to go to their farms due to concerns over landmines, said a local woman from eastern Loikaw Township.
“We used to do farming annually, but now we dare not go and do farming. Other people also don’t dare to do farming because they are afraid of landmines left behind in the farms. We don’t know what to do to earn an income. We have to risk our lives even to earn money. That’s why we can’t do anything in this situation,” said the local woman.
While food assistance is available in the displacement camps, it is insufficient for larger families, and there is no land available for the displaced people to cultivate, leading them to decide to return home, stated a man who recently returned to his village from a displacement camp.
“We came back because we wanted to live in our own homes and villages. Even though we got some ration support in the IDP camp, it is not enough for big families. And there is no land to farm. So, some have returned to their villages to farm small plots of land,” said the man.
Sources claimed that since some villages have returned home entirely, they are in dire need of medical support and ration supplies.
