Burma-Myanmar: Army attacks against Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) soldiers displaces 300 villagers as Suu Kyi tours Karen State
Fighting between Burma Army and Karen soldiers in northern Karen State forced hundreds of villagers from their home into jungle hideouts while the State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi is touring Karen State.
Ceasefire violations by Burma Army had caused tensions with Karen National Liberation Army soldiers in its 5th Brigade area in Mutraw [Papun] district in the northern Karen State. As many as 300 villagers were driven from their homes by Burma Army shelling. A local Karen National Union leader estimated another 2,000 more villagers are on the brink of running to escape the fighting.
Saw Robin Moo, secretary of the KNU’s Mutraw District told Karen News that since early February 2020, more than 300 villagers had already been displaced by increased Burma Army operations in the area.
“The impact from the fighting is spreading and includes more village tracts now. We have a list of more than 2,000 villagers both who had fled their homes and who are on high alert, ready to flee. If further fighting takes place these villagers will be forced to run for safety as they are in grave danger,” said Saw Robin Moo.