Residents of Katsu village, located on the Myitkyina-Bhamo road in Waingmaw Township of Kachin State, returned to their homes on March 14th through self-help measures.

According to a displaced person who spoke with KNG, residents of Katsu village from approximately 100 households have returned to their homes after a prolonged stay in refugee camps in Myitkyina and Waingmaw.

"We have been discussing our return to our village since 2022, and our goal was to come back in 2023. We made several requests to the government to obtain permission to return home. Finally, KBC informed us that we could use the self-help program to return home. With KBC's permission, we were able to return to our community, which we had left behind for 11 or 12 years. We felt that it was time to come back and contribute to our village's development”, he said.

Before returning home, residents of approximately 100 households participated in religious prayers. If their repatriation process continues without any issues, they plan to encourage more displaced people to return to their homes.

A returnee mentioned that the decision to return home was not primarily due to the region's current safety and peace conditions, but rather to contribute to the rehabilitation efforts in their home village.

The repatriated individuals have various basic needs, including access to clean drinking water and sufficient food for resettlement. Additionally, they are encountering challenges in resuming agricultural activities upon their return.

The residents of Katsu have been fervently preparing for their return for some time now. However, the main challenge they face is the extensive rehabilitation of their homes, which may require significant effort and resources.

On February 28th, approximately 300 locals of Garrayang village, which is located adjacent to Katsu, also returned to their homes.