Thousands of Arakan residents displaced by fighting in Kachin jade mining hub

By Admin 27 Sep 2024

DMG Newsroom
27 September 2024, Hpakant

Thousands of people from Arakan State who work at jade mining camps in Hpakant Township, Kachin State, have reportedly fled to safer locations amid fighting between Myanmar's military regime and resistance forces in the region.

Fighting is ongoing as the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) launched an offensive against Myanmar military camps in Hpakant Township beginning in early September.

"We had to stop working and flee to safer locations due to the fighting in Hpakant Township," said one resident of Arakan State.

Hpakant Township in northern Myanmar, which boasts some of the world's finest jade deposits, has long been a magnet for migrant workers who come from across the country, typically drawn by a belief that the Kachin State mines offer better livelihood prospects than their home towns and villages can. Despite a distance of hundreds of miles between the two states, Arakan State has been a large source of that migrant labour pool for many years.

The Arakan State natives displaced by the military-KIA clashes are currently taking shelter at monasteries and schools, where food insecurity is a significant and growing concern.

"We are in a lot of trouble right now. We were forced to flee our homes by the fighting. We will go hungry soon. We would like to ask concerned officials to provide for us," said a resident of Arakan State's Pauktaw Township who made the move to Hpakant.

The KIA has been attacking a junta base and a police station in Hpakant Township and clashes between the military and KIA continue to escalate.

According to local news media, there are about 6,000 civilians in Hpakant Township who have fled because of the fighting, many of whom are in need of food and other humanitarian assistance.