More than 19,100 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Myitche region of Magway region urgently require emergency food aid after Myamar junta forces killed nearly 40 residents and burned approximately 1,000 houses, according to local aid workers.
The crisis began on 10 May when an estimated 500-strong military column comprising junta troops from the Pakokku-based Light Infantry Division (LID) 101 and Pyu Saw Htee militia members from Aung Tha village raided Myitche town, triggering mass displacement across the region.
With the displacement entering its fourth week, emergency food supplies have reached a critical breaking point.
“There are 12 displacement sites. We consume 40 bags of rice and 36 viss approximately 58.6 kg of cooking oil daily, alongside other cooking ingredients. Basic food supplies are urgently needed,” a local aid volunteer said, emphasizing the immense logistical challenge of feeding the displaced population.
Residents from 37 villages were forced to flee to safety as junta forces executed civilians and systematically torched the Myitche central market, urban wards, and adjacent villages.
Due to severe overcrowding and a critical lack of clean drinking water across the 12 camps, outbreaks of diarrhea have been reported, prompting an urgent need for immediate medical assistance alongside food relief.
The human toll of the multi-week operation has been devastating. From 10 May to 5 June, junta forces killed nearly 40 civilians, discarding their bodies on public streets, inside residential homes, and within religious compounds.
“The death toll is currently around 40. Our team, in cooperation with community volunteer groups, has been recovering the bodies. We are still compiling the names of the victims,” another aid worker reported on the evening of 8 June.
During their deployment in Myitche, junta forces systematically targeted economic and residential infrastructure, destroying approximately 1,000 homes across 18 villages.
Because the exact current location of the military column remains difficult to verify and deep fears of a return raid persist, local residents are unable to return to their villages and continue to take refuge in the temporary displacement camps.
