Both the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the junta have been abducting men fleeing fighting in Bhamo City in Kachin State and forcing them to serve in their armies.
50,000 people have fled Bhamo City since a coalition of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and people’s defence forces (PDFs) launched an offensive against the junta in the town on 4 December 2024.
The people of Bhamo City, the second largest city in Kachin State were unprepared for the offensive, but most of the inhabitants have already fled.
There are only a few old people and others, who cannot flee for various reasons, left in the city. Some houses, phone shops, and grocery stores in the city have already been looted.
A woman from Bhamo City who is now sheltering in Myitkyina City described the difficulties they faced trying to leave Bhamo City.
She said: “When we fled Bhamo, it was very difficult to find a car. Although there were cars available, too many people were trying to rent them, and the prices had skyrocketed. We had to pay about 300,000 MMK each to reach Myitkyina. When we left, we saw some elderly people and stroke patients who remained in the town, and some of them are still stuck in Bhamo.”
To make matters worse for those fleeing, phone and internet connections in the area are very poor so people escaping have been unable to keep in contact with each other.
But, both the KIA and junta decided to profit from the displaced people’s panic and confusion by abducting men so that they could conscript them and force them to serve in their armies.
A person displaced from Bhamo City said: “Most of the IDPs fled [south] towards Mandalay City and [west] towards Shwegu Town [in Kachin State]. In the Shwegu direction, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) intercepted and held IDPs to use as conscripts. Meanwhile, junta troops near the Sagaing Bridge checked and detained those heading towards Mandalay. We need to remain vigilant about these situations.”
Both the junta ands the KIA successfully abducted young and middle aged men displaced from Bhamo City for conscription into their armies, according to reports.
The displaced residents of Bhamo are also in urgent need of assistance, according to Nang Pu, a Kachin civil society activist and advocate for women’s affairs.
She said: “The United Nations (UN) agencies, CSOs, and the international community seem to have neglected the Bhamo IDPs. Some have explained that while they want to help, they face difficulties accessing information due to the security situation and outages in internet and phone communications. In fact, it is these very same challenges that make the people in urgent need of help. We are speaking out because the IDPs desperately require basic necessities, particularly food.”
Currently, a local relief group, Wunpawng Ninghtoi, along with several other CSOs, is planning to assist around 300 IDP families who have fled to the villages of Monghkawng, Hanhtet, Inkhaungpar, and Inbarpar in Mansi Township, Kachin State.
