More than 4,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) who fled Nyaunglebin District in Bago Region after escaping extrajudicial killings and detention for being forcibly used as human shields by the junta are in urgent need of assistance.
In Kyaukkyi Township in Nyaunglebin District, junta troops killed several villagers and used others as human shields during ground operations, while airstrikes have also resulted in civilian deaths. As a result, more than 4,000 residents from five villages fled and urgently need food and medicine.
“The most urgent need for IDPs right now is basic food supplies. They also need medicine. Among them are children, the elderly, people with health conditions, and pregnant women, and they require a wide range of essential support,” said a spokesperson for the Karen Rescue Committee (KRC).
On March 5, junta troops raided several villages in the Yaetwinkone Village Tract and carried out airstrikes, drone attacks, and artillery shelling.
The junta brutally killed more than 30 innocent civilians during these attacks. In addition, its soldiers ransacked and burned local homes and committed multiple human rights violations, including using villagers as human shields.
Later, the Karen National Union (KNU) and resistance forces managed to rescue around 300 people who the junta had detained and used as human shields.
Currently, 4,097 people from Yaetwinkone, Kyaungkone, Wetche, Innparit, and Dalaseik villages are temporarily sheltering in forested areas and with relatives in safer areas, and they urgently need food, medicine, and shelter assistance.
“We would like to appeal to everyone to contribute whatever they can to help those in need, especially by supporting healthcare for those injured in airstrikes and artillery attacks,” said Saw Albert, spokesperson for the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG).
The junta’s widespread attacks and aggression left 16 local residents seriously injured, while many villagers lost their property.
Despite the junta’s blatant war crimes, there has been very little response or condemnation from the international community, and a lack of meaningful action, prompting criticism of its silence.
“We have consistently tried to draw international attention to the war crimes committed by the junta. The international community is aware of them, but there has been little to no response or action, which is deeply frustrating. In the end, it is the people who continue to suffer,” said Naw Cherry, spokeswoman for the Karen Peace Support Network (KPSN).
Human rights activists have called on the international community, including the United Nations (UN), not only to issue statements of concern, but also to take meaningful and effective action, such as immediately cutting off supplies of jet fuel, weapons, and funding to the junta.
They also call for justice for the Myanmar people who have endured the junta’s human rights abuses, and for concrete steps to be taken to hold those responsible accountable.
