Following the capture of Shan Daw Township by revolutionary forces, residents displaced by the conflict are still unable to return home due to ongoing clearance operations, sources claim.
One displaced resident explained that returning is currently not permitted due to the presence of landmines and areas that were subjected to heavy artillery and airstrikes by the military council during the battle.
“No villages are permitted to return home yet. It’s not safe yet to allow returnees. The resistance forces are working to conduct clearance operations and have started clearing the surrounding houses in the northern part of the village in Shan Daw. They are then moving to clean the southern part, which will extend to the eastern part. They haven’t allowed people to return to the area around the pagoda, where they heavily bombed with planes and artillery, as it’s still very dangerous. No one has returned to the village yet,” said a social worker assisting the displaced civilians.
The displaced residents of Shan Daw Township are in need of daily food and water, shelter, medicine, and other necessities. Sources claim that there are currently 477 households with a total of 1,731 people residing in the IDP camp.
Karenni resistance forces announced that they had successfully captured all military council bases within Shan Daw Township on February 12th of this year and now control the town, according to sources. While some areas have been cleared for resettlement, others remain unsafe due to security concerns, according to a spokesperson for the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF).
“In areas controlled by the revolutionary forces, some places are safe to live in. However, areas that were battlefields haven’t been cleared of mines yet. Additionally, it’s still not safe to return to places near the military,” said the KNDF spokesperson.
Residents have been urged not to return to areas previously occupied by the military council due to the presence of numerous landmines. According to accessible data collected by Kantarawaddy Times, over 10 civilians have been killed and more than 20 injured by landmines while returning to their homes to collect food in Karenni State within the three years since the coup.
