Military tensions running high near Kayah State capital Loikaw

By DMG 19 Mar 2022

DMG Newsroom
19 March 2022, Loikaw, Kayah State

Locals that remain in the Kayah (Karenni) State capital Loikaw are concerned about a possible clash in the town as military tensions have grown between the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) and Myanmar’s junta.

Those tensions are running high after the Myanmar regime fired artillery near Loikaw on Saturday morning, according to a member of the combined forces of the KNDF and other Karenni resistance groups. Given the situation, the KNDF has urged people not to travel on the Loikaw-Pekon and Loikaw-Hsi Hseng roads, he said.

“Junta troops continuously fired artillery shells the whole morning. So, we are concerned that clashes may further intensify,” he said.

It is difficult to evacuate residents from the town due to travel restrictions, the KNDF-affiliated source added.

“Some residents are still trapped in the town, and we will have to rescue them by any means as the regime is conducting artillery and air strikes,” he said.

Loikaw residents are concerned about possible fighting in the town, confirmed a member of a local humanitarian group helping civilians displaced by conflict.

More than 200,000 people have reportedly been displaced by fighting between the KNDF and junta forces in Kayah State. Some have fled to neighbouring Shan State, while others have sought refuge closer to home, hiding in forests deemed safer than their houses.