Thousands of villagers who were displaced by fighting between the Burma Army and a civilian resistance group on the weekend in Karenni (aka Kayah) State urgently need emergency support.

A volunteer helping civilians affected by the violence explained only the elderly, women and children have shelter from the rain because they aren’t enough plastic sheets for everyone.

They’re also short of medicine and food, and they don’t have clean drinking water. The volunteer expects their food to run out in a few days. Women need female hygienic products.

According to estimates from volunteers, there are more than 50,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Loikaw, Demawso and Hpruso townships in Karenni State, and in Mobye and Pekon townships, located in southern Shan State.

Karenni People’s Defense Force (KPDF) claimed it killed forty Burma Army soldiers in several locations on Sunday. The fighting started in Demawso Township last Friday.

A person helping residents from Pekin Kaw Khu IDP camp in Loikaw told Kantarawaddy Times because of security concerns it is difficult to collect donations for the 1,500 residents.

They need rice, cooking oil, salt and drinking water. Some of these things have been provided from nearby villages, and a bank account was opened to collect donations.

“The elders and children are suffering from mental trauma,” the person said, explaining they can not travel to the camp to help them because it isn’t safe.

The camp, which was in Pekin Kaw Khu village, was moved to the capital after the Burma Army shelled it on May 23.

On May 24, in the morning, four villagers were killed and eight critically wounded when the Burma Army attacked a Catholic Church where they were hiding in Kayan Thaya village, Loikaw Township.

The artillery attack on the church came after the civilian resistance group ambushed soldiers on a nearby road sent as reinforcements to Moebye Township, where twenty troops died Sunday and four were taken hostage.