Displaced civilians from Karen State’s Kyainseikgyi Township are reportedly working in plantations near active conflict zones due to economic hardship, raising concerns about landmine dangers, according to sources aiding displaced persons.
Since mid-August 2024, clashes between the military junta and joint revolutionary forces, including the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), have occurred around Ahnankwin village, where the junta has a strategic base. These clashes have resulted in at least eight casualties from landmine explosions near Yetagon village along the Ye-Thanbyuzayat road.
In December 2024, as hostilities temporarily subsided due to a withdrawal by revolutionary forces, displaced residents lacking food and aid have begun working in rubber plantations near conflict areas. A humanitarian worker assisting displaced persons in Ahnankwin expressed concern over the risks:
“Whenever the fighting calms down, they return to work in the fields. The landmine threat is severe, but we’re unable to provide meaningful help. Many casualties go unreported, with victims often dying unnoticed in these dangerous areas.”
Approximately 1,500 displaced people from the affected villages have relocated to towns such as Mawlamyine, Thanbyuzayat, Mudon, and Ye. Many others remain hidden in forests and hills near their villages, facing severe shortages of food and medical supplies.
In the early stages of the clashes, from August to September 2024, five plantation workers—four men and one woman—lost limbs to landmine explosions. In December, two youths from Zeehnitpin village and one man from Panga village suffered injuries in similar incidents.
“Around Zeehnitpin, two young men in their 20s stepped on landmines while clearing a rubber plantation. One sustained minor injuries, but the other suffered severe leg damage,” said a local resident.
In a tragic incident, a Panga villager who stepped on a landmine died at the scene. His body was discovered six days later, on December 11.
The exact parties responsible for planting the landmines remain unclear, as both the military junta and revolutionary forces operate in the area. Ahnankwin has been the site of intense fighting for nearly four months, with the junta increasingly deploying drone strikes to bolster their efforts. On December 5, drone attacks reportedly caused casualties among revolutionary forces.
The prolonged conflict and landmine dangers underscore the dire humanitarian situation in Kyainseikgyi Township, where displaced civilians face a constant struggle for survival.
