Fighting broke out between the military and the combined forces of Karenni Army (KA) and Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) in Loikaw Township, Karenni State on Tuesday morning, August 24.

A resident from eastern Loilan Lay sub township reported hearing gunfire at 6am for about 30 minutes. He said all villagers from the area had fled earlier fighting between the armed groups in early August. “They are afraid to return to their homes, so they are staying in an internally displaced person ( IDP) camp in the jungle.”

A volunteer helping IDPs in the sub township told Kantarawaddy Times that over 8,000 had been displaced by the clashes.

According to a KNDF report, the civilian resistance group and KA ambushed the military near the mountain Mak Salaung in Bawlakhe Township on August 22. At least three Burmese soldiers were killed and two seriously injured in the attack, the report said.

The Burma Army (BA) uses military drones to find KA and KNDF fighters in Bawlakhe Township and conducts artillery attacks on villages, according to the KNDF.

Villagers told Kantarawaddy Times that the BA used civilians as human shields during the conflict in Karenni State, which began in May.

Karenni citizens have been resisting the dictatorship in the state since the February 1 coup.