Displaced residents of Myawady taking shelter at a Thai side in Tak province / Photo: Social Media
Mizzima
The Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM) has documented incidents that happened during April 2024 in Karen State.
During April 2024 eight people were killed, 20 were injured and more than 21,000 were newly displaced in Karen State.
Below are details of some of the incidents HURFOM recorded:
The junta has been intensively bombing Thingan Nyi Naung and its nearby areas in Myawaddy Township, Karen State.
Reports from local news sources indicate that on 3 and 4 April, as well as 28 and 31 March, the junta’s Y-12 bombers targeted the villages of Wave Shan and Zayat Phyu Kone near Thingan Nyi Naung. The area also experienced heavy artillery fire.
The conflict between the junta and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) revolutionary joint forces began to intensify again on 7 March and has persisted for almost a month.
The KNLA and its allies captured the Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 355 base on 9 March. However, the Karen National Union (KNU) reported that from 15 to 25 March, there was intense fighting to retake the camp, resulting in over 20 junta soldiers being killed and one casualty from the revolutionary forces.
The ongoing battles have caused significant damage to local villages, with many homes destroyed by artillery and airstrikes. Residents have been injured, and the extent of the damage is still being assessed. Locals from Myawaddy reported continuous bombardment and destruction of homes in Thingan Nyi Naung.
Karen National Union (KNU) Brigade 6 in Dooplaya District stated that many houses were burned down due to junta troops setting fires and dropping incendiary bombs from drones.
The KNLA forces are engaging in heavy battles with the junta near Thingan Nyi Naung and Wave Shan village, with intense fighting around junta convoys being sent as reinforcements to Myawaddy.
The junta troops have been accused of burning houses near Byuhar Kone to obstruct the revolutionary forces ’counterattacks. During the prolonged conflict in Thingan Nyi Naung, the KNLA seized two headquarters of LIB 355 and LIB 356 and continued to attack the remaining battalions and Byuhar Kone.
The violence has had a devastating impact on civilians, with reports of deaths and injuries.
Over 10,000 people have been forced to flee their homes. Villagers claim that the junta’s artillery fire has destroyed nearly all houses in Thingan Nyi Naung and Wave Shan, leaving them in ashes.
Two residents of Kaw Gu and Naung Khit villages in Kawkareik Township, Karen State were injured, and several homes were damaged when the junta’s Infantry Battalion (IB) 81 launched artillery attacks. The incident occurred mid-April, just after 12:30 PM, with artillery shells exploding in and around both villages.
Local sources report that six artillery shells landed in Kaw Gu Village and three in Naung Khit Village, causing damage to homes and a monastery. Although the injuries to the villagers were not severe, the impact on the community was significant, with four homes in Naung Khit village sustaining damage.
The shelling appears to have been unrelated to any immediate fighting near these villages. However, ongoing conflicts in nearby Kaw Bain village within Kawkareik Township in Karen State prompted junta troops to advance into Kyaikmayaw Township in Mon State.
This military movement has been accompanied by almost daily, indiscriminate artillery and air attacks, posing ongoing risks to local populations.
Airstrikes on 23 April at 9:00 am in Karen State injured a 48-year old local woman and led to the destruction of at least seven homes. Despite there being no active armed clashes in the area. The junta dropped 12 bombs from a fighter jet.
Local communities are bracing for a challenging season ahead, with urgent calls for increased aid and a durable solution to their displacement, According to HURFOM.
