Myanmar

The political and security situation in Myanmar’s Kachin and northern Shan states is complex. 

In Kachin, a 17-year ceasefire broke down in 2011, reigniting a decades-long conflict between the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and the Tatmadaw, the Myanmar armed forces. While there has been limited active conflict and few armed clashes in Kachin since August 2018 till the 2021 coup, seven years of conflict have resulted in humanitarian needs, with limited humanitarian access in the affected areas. Since the coup, there has been intense fighting in the state. The KIA also has been cooperating with the People’s Defence Forces (PDFs) – the anti-coup resistance groups.  In northern Shan state, intense fighting has taken place since January 2018 and has worsened since December 2020 and since the coup. In Shan state, there are an estimated seven EAOs, 20 militia groups, and seven Border Guard Forces actively engaged in an armed independence movement, both between one another and against the Myanmar government. ?

Years of conflict in Kachin have resulted in widespread food insecurity, disruption of government services, economic stagnation, and protracted displacement. Armed clashes, human rights violations, and landmine contamination pose a significant protection risk across both states. Access restrictions for humanitarian organisations and active conflict have eroded the coping capacity of communities in Kachin and Shan – two of the most impoverished states in Myanmar, and both extremely vulnerable to shocks.?

Around 110,000 people are internally displaced across both Kachin and northern Shan states. In Kachin, around 95,000 people have been living in IDP camps since 2011. At least 35% of IDPs across the state live in areas that are non-government controlled or contested. In northern Shan, over 15,000 are in protracted displacement.?