Myanmar Churches contribute food aid to people displaced due to internal conflict

Christian Churches in Putao District of Kachin State contributed food aid on February 14 to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who fled due to regional war in the Township of Putao, the northern part of Myanmar.

The villagers of Sum Pyi Yang are still fleeing in the jungles after the village was bombed by a fighter jet on February 1, 2022.  Myanmar has been under military rule since February 1, 2021.

Fear of unexpected airstrikes keeps the people from returning to their native village. The fear of the random military attacks has led the people to flee to Putao town and the Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State.

Father John Awng Htoi, the parish priest of Putao, told RVA News, “Our Churches and Culture Committees are privately helping the victims of war who flee to Putao Town. It is impossible to open IDPs’ camps in Putao for their refuge. The refugees are taking  putting up wherever possible in Town of Putao.”

The local authority does not allow open IDPs’ camps for the refugees. Church leaders have requested local administrators to help IDPs with asylum in the village.

Churches provide just basic food aids such as rice, oil, salt, and firewood. But additional humanitarian assistance is needed to meet the needs of IDPs.

Karuna Mission Social Service (KMSS) of Myitkyina and Kachin Baptist Church Humanitarian (KBC) tried to provide material needs to the IDPs. But the authorities did not allow it.

Christian churches try to provide even essential financial support to the IDPs whenever possible. KMSS is finding ways and means to continue to help them.

“The villagers are not staying in one place. It isn’t easy to directly help them. They dare not stay as a group. Therefore, only one family member is invited and given money,” Luka Nu Hkar, KMSS Emergency Response Team Leader, told RVA News.

Nu Hkar says, “For these two villages, it is a big worry according to the ground situation. The villagers dare not stay in their villages because both armed parties fight each other daily. When we even arrived there, heavy artillery shells fell three times just near to us.”  

“If the situation lasts more than three weeks, they will be camped out in the local religious compound,” said Ban Aung, secretary of the Putao Catholic Refugee Care Team.

Around 170 houses from Sum Pyi Yang, 50 from N Tsi Yang, and 600 from Lung Sha Yang are fleeing, and only one family member stays back to guard in the house.