Thousands of residents flee junta raids in Sagaing Twsp

By Admin 09 Jun 2023

DMG Newsroom
9 June 2023, Sagaing

Regime soldiers set fire to hundreds of homes in several villages in Sagaing Township and forced thousands of residents to flee during a period from May 19 to June 8, according to aid workers.

A 100-strong military contingent raided six villages in Sagaing Township and torched 579 homes, forcing at least 9,000 locals to flee.

“At least 500 homes in Padu Village were burned down by the junta soldiers. Junta soldiers torched Padu Village six times. We don’t have specific information yet as the junta troops are stationed in the village,” said an official from the Sagaing Township Information Team.

Some people displaced by the junta raid have returned home, but 8,960 displaced people are still unable to return home as junta soldiers are stationed in the village and nearby areas.

Local residents said that the food they brought while fleeing is now in short supply and they are struggling to make ends meet.

“We face livelihood hardships. I would like to ask people to donate money or food to us,” said a resident of Padu Village.

Thousands of locals were forced to flee and the displaced people were unable to return home after two junta columns stormed some villages in Wetlet Township in Sagaing Region on May 19.

As of June 8, local people from 13 villages in Sagaing Township were displaced by the junta raids, according to aid workers.

Nearly 750,000 people remained displaced across Sagaing Region since the coup, according to a May 6 report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).