Locals flee as KNDF clashes with junta troops in Shan State’s Moebye Twsp

By DMG 31 Aug 2022

DMG Newsroom
31 August 2022, Moebye

Hundreds of local people in Shan State’s Moebye Township were forced to flee to safer locations following clashes between the Myanmar military and anti-regime forces on August 27 and 28, according to residents.

Fierce fighting between junta troops and a coalition led by the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) erupted when a 100-strong Myanmar military contingent entered Moebye on Saturday evening, a resident said.

“The skirmish broke out after a military regiment entered Moebye. The military fired heavy weapons in the clash,” said the resident.

Many civilians fled their homes and hid in the jungle, or took refuge at relatives’ residences as the two sides exchanged fire, according to aid workers.

“At least 1,000 local people have fled to safer locations due to fighting in downtown Moebye. The displaced people are being accommodated at a temporary displacement camp,” one aid worker said.

The Moebye People’s Defense Force (MBPDF) warned residents on August 28 to relocate to safer places.

“A large number of junta soldiers are attempting to enter downtown Moebye. That is why we are warning residents, because we don’t want to harm the people when the fighting between the two sides is intense,” said an official from the MBPDF.

A coalition led by the KNDF launched an attack on a military outpost belonging to the Myanmar military’s Light Infantry Regiment No. 422 in Moebye on August 25.

Fighting between Myanmar’s military regime and anti-junta armed forces has flared with regularity in parts of Shan State, as well as several other states and regions in the country, since the military’s February 2021 coup.