The military of Myanmar has launched renewed air and ground strikes in the east of the country, displacing thousands.
Reuters reports that bombings in Nan Mei Khon village in the state of Kayah, which borders Thailand, have been aimed at the militia group Karenni National Defence Group (KNDG), one of several groups which have opposed the junta since it took power in 2021.
According to the UN humanitarian agency, at least 90,000 people have been displaced in Kayah by these new attacks, with an estimated 441,000 people displaced throughout Myanmar since 2021.
Recent bombardments have interfered with attempts to safely move civilians to relief camps.
These bombardments come less than a month from the time The UN Security Council issued a statement voicing concern over Myanmar’s attacks on health and education infrastructure, as well as over a large number of displaced persons within Myanmar.
At the time the security council’s statement was released, the UN humanitarian agency believed that about 11,800 individuals had been unlawfully held since the coup last year and that around 1500 civilians had been killed.
Meanwhile, the West African nation of Gambia has filed a lawsuit against Myanmar with the UN’s highest court, in an attempt to continue the legal case against Myanmar with alleges that the pre-junta government committed genocide against the Rohingya minority group.
Approximately 730,000 of the Muslim Rohingya minority fled to Bangladesh as a result of that crackdown.
The U.N. refugee agency forecasts that this Myanmar refugee crisis is likely to worsen in coming months, and is therefore stepping up its aid to support as many of the displaced as possible.
