More than 10,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kale (Kalay) Township, Sagaing Region, are facing a serious shortage of food and medicine.
The junta’s large-scale military operations in Kale Township have displaced over 10,000 residents. Aid workers reported that the displaced people are in urgent need of food, medicine, and healthcare assistance.
Since October 16, the junta has launched simultaneous military operations along the Kale–Tamu Road to the north of Kale Town and the Kale–Gangaw Road to the south, forcing many villagers along the Tamu–Kale–Gangaw route to flee their homes.
A spokesperson for the Kale Town People’s Struggle Steering Committee reported that the junta’s operations have displaced around 4,000 households, or approximately 10,000 people.
“Right now, about 20 villages along the Tamu–Kale–Gangaw section of the India–Myanmar Friendship Highway are being evacuated. Altogether, around 4,000 households, or more than 10,000 people, have been forced to flee urgently,” the spokesperson said.
Many IDPs are currently living in flimsy makeshift shelters in the jungle, among them the elderly, pregnant women, children, and people with disabilities.
As the rainy season ends and winter sets in, many people have fallen ill during the seasonal transition, increasing the urgent need for medicine and healthcare support.
““The immediate needs are rice, food, and basic household items. With the seasonal change, many people are falling ill, so healthcare support is also urgently needed,” the committee spokesperson said.
Although volunteers and social organizations are working hard to support the healthcare needs of IDPs, there remains an urgent need for proper medical care for children, the disabled, and those requiring specialized attention, he added.
Furthermore, displacement forces local people to abandon their livelihoods and workplaces, putting them at risk of severe economic hardship if their income is interrupted for an extended period.
Aid groups have warned that the humanitarian crisis could worsen significantly if urgent aid for the IDPs does not arrive promptly.
The committee has also established an emergency response task force to provide IDPs with assistance as efficiently as possible, urging Myanmar citizens abroad, local partners, resistance groups inside and outside Myanmar, ethnic organizations, and international agencies to support the displaced population in Kale Township.
