Homes have been damaged by artillery shelling in some villages of Kayah State’s Demoso Township over recent days, according to sources on the ground.

The Myanmar military fired at least 30 artillery shells into villages in Demoso Township on April 4, and at least five homes in the township’s Htee Thel Kaloe and Daw Hlar Khue villages were destroyed by the artillery fire, said a member of a Karenni aid group.

More homes and a rural healthcare centre were damaged and at least three local people were injured when artillery shells fired by the Myanmar military landed on Dotsel, Dawtanee and Taneelarlel villages in Demoso Township on April 3, said a member of the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF).

“Three residents were wounded and six homes, including a rural healthcare facility, were damaged when the Myanmar military fired artillery shells into the village without any clashes with the anti-regime forces,” the KNDF member added.

Fighting between the Myanmar military and the KNDF has forced nearly 200,000 locals in Kayah (Karenni) State to flee their homes since the February 2021 coup.

At least 75 civilians were killed and some 180 houses were destroyed by junta air and artillery strikes during the first two months of this year in Kayah State,according to the Progressive Karenni People’s Force (PKPF).