“We are not very optimistic for the near future, the clashes have continued’ indeed, it would seem from the rumors that they have intensified. The humanitarian consequences are severe, it is now more than a month and a half that between 10,000 and 20,000 civilians have been displaced and are living in precarious conditions, with very little help available”, said to MISNA , discussing the difficulties of the people in the State of Kachin, Monsignor Raymond Sumlut Gam, bishop of Banmaw and manager of Caritas in the Asian country.
“Caritas is trying to help, but we have very little available. We need food and tents for the displaced people “, said the prelate who spoke by telephone in his diocese, in Kachin State, which has a total of about 100,000 Catholics.
From the early days of fighting in June the fighting has engaged the powerful regular army against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), one of the many Burmese ethnic armed factions. The toll of the fighting remains unclear, though the majority of the victims have been among the ranks of the combatants.
According to the latest information reported by sources close to the KIA, 10 soldiers were killed and seven others captured during clashes near the village of Khaya last weekend.
The army and the separatists accuse each other of instigating the crisis that erupted on June 8. The government accuses Kia of leading an assault against the guards protecting a Chinese company that is building a major hydroelectric plant. The KIA says the government has caused tensions after it tried to put the militia under its control by proposing to integrate it into a border contingent.
Tensions are also palpable in the neighboring state of Shan, where, according to anti-government sources, the military have launched an offensive against the Shan State Army (SSA) to Wan Hai.
