Thousands of Karenni IDPs flee displacement camps after Myanmar military shelling

By DMG 28 Feb 2022

DMG Newsroom
28 February 2022, Loikaw, Kayah State 

Artillery shells fired by the Myanmar military hit multiple Karenni camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) on Sunday morning, doing damage in some of the camps and forcing many of the IDPs to flee once again. 

A Karenni humanitarian activist told DMG that heavy artillery shelling at IDP camps in Moebye town, Shan State, as well as Demoso, Loikaw and Phruso townships in Kayah State, had destroyed homes and made life difficult for IDPs. 

“The refugees are still being evacuated due to heavy artillery fire by the Myanmar military at 5 a.m. The refugee camps were again shelled, and the area was too small for locals to live in,” the Karenni activist added. 

Telephone lines and mobile internet access had been cut off in some of the conflict areas as of press time, hampering communications in the affected region. 

At least five people, including elderly, were killed while they were fleeing to nearby forests as artillery fired by the Myanmar military hit the camps, according to a Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) official. 

“Some people were frightened when they were hit by artillery shells and fled on trawlargyi and motorbikes. Some died in vehicle crashes,” the KNDF official added. 

More than 170,000 Karenni people have fled their homes for nearby villages and forested areas due to heavy fighting between the Myanmar military and the KNDF in Moebye, Shan State, and some townships in Kayah State from February 17-24.