Internally displaced people (IDPs) sheltering in two Waingmaw Township villages in Kachin State are in urgent need of blankets and warm clothing to protect them against the harsh winter weather.
About 1,000 IDPs are sheltering in approximately 20 IDP camps, some of which are on the banks of the Ayeyarwady River, in the villages of Nawngching and Labangkahtaung in Waingmaw Township.
A displaced woman currently sheltering in a Labang Kahtaung Village camp said to KNG: “The place where we are living is on the banks of the Ayeyarwady River, and it is extremely cold. We urgently need blankets and warm clothes. The hardship we are facing is overwhelming. Please help us if you can.”
The IDPS sheltering in Nawngching and Labang kahtaung fled fighting in the Waingmaw Township villages of Aung Myay 2 and Shwenyaungpin.
They fled fighting that started on 7 March 2024 when the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and people’s defence forces (PDFs) launched an offensive against junta positions in Waingmaw Township that caused thousands of villagers to flee from approximately 20 villages in eastern and southern Waingmaw Township.
When the 7 March offensive started the junta blockaded the villages of Aung Myay 2 and Shwenyaungpin and stopped any villagers leaving. A week after the offensive started the villagers were able to escape, but most left with no more than the clothes on their backs.
In the nine months they have been sheltering in Nawngching and Labang Kahtaung Villages, the IDPs have relied heavily on food and supplies occasionally donated by religious groups and social welfare organisations. However their food supplies are inadequate and they do not have enough warm clothes and blankets or ways to keep warm during the very cold winter months.
An IDP camp manager said: “Some took the risk of returning to their home villages to retrieve blankets, while most have shared the blankets given by the local church.”
The IDPs in the two villages also have limited access to drinking water and they urgently need assistance to help them dig wells to ensure they have access to water in the summer.
An IDP camp official from Nawngching Village said to KNG: “Drinking water is scarce in Nawngching Village. There is only one well for 500 people, and it is already beginning to dry up. We advise IDPs to reserve the well for drinking water and avoid using it for bathing, to conserve water.”
The junta has also deployed troops around Nawngching and Labangkahtaung villages, causing concern amongst the IDPs sheltering there.
An IDP currently sheltering in Nawngching Village said: “The KIA has also warned the public that there may be fighting because of the junta’s current activities. As IDPs, we are very reluctant to be displaced again. Settling in a new place, moving our belongings, and building new toilets and wells is always overwhelming. However, we have formed a committee to help facilitate temporary relocation as much as possible, in case an emergency situation arises.”
