The Karen Emergency Relief Committee (KERC) issued a statement on 20 September 2024, strongly condemning junta soldiers for preventing social relief groups from assisting flood victims in Mone Township, Bago Region.
Since 13 September, rising water levels in the Sittaung River have flooded approximately 100 villages in Mone Township, affecting nearly 50,000 residents.
Junta soldiers prevented aid, from both local civil society organisations (CSOs) and CSOs based elsewhere in the country, from reaching flood victims by firing warning shots, seizing aid materials, and threatening those delivering aid with artillery shelling. This meant that aid workers were significantly delayed and unable to deliver essential assistance to those in need in a timely way.
A KERC member said: "Such prevention was primarily carried out by Light Infantry Battalion 439 (LIB-439) based in Kanyutkwin Town on the west side of the Sittaung River. The soldiers stopped vehicles carrying aid materials and conducted strict checks. Dry food was not allowed to be transported and was confiscated. They also fired artillery at vehicles coming from other directions to deter them. As a result of these restrictions, some food items did not reach those in need on time and spoiled, while others were soaked with water and ruined.”
According to its statement, KERC has been tirelessly coordinating relief efforts with village-level authorities in flood-affected areas, but it cannot provide enough aid by itself and more humanitarian aid is urgently needed.
Mone township is in the KNU Brigade Three district of Kler Lwee Htu. The KNU Brigade Three area is one of the areas that has seen the largest amount of fighting between the KNU and junta since the coup. It is also the KNU Brigade area where there are the largest number of displaced people (IDPs).
Since 2022, the junta has deliberately cut communication networks in the region as part of its military strategy. As a result, during severe natural disasters, those in need of assistance face greater difficulties and delays in receiving aid.
The tail-end of typhoon Yagi affected around half the states and regions in Myanmar and has been causing severe floods in those areas since the second week in September. People in those areas are in urgent need of aid, including food and assistance.
