By Bala / MPA
Displaced civilians in eastern Myanmar’s Karenni (Kayah) State are calling for urgent intervention from revolutionary authorities as they face growing restrictions on their ability to grow food for survival.
In Demoso Township, thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who fled military violence are now grappling with a secondary crisis: a lack of access to arable land. At IDP Camp No. 7, located along the Pun Stream, residents say they are being barred from small-scale subsistence farming by local landowners.
“Initially, locals allowed us to clear and farm unused grazing land for one year,” one IDP told MPA. “But once we spent the effort clearing the land and making it productive, they took it back to farm it themselves. Now, we aren’t even allowed a small plot for subsistence. There is a sense of discrimination, and we need senior officials to see the reality on the ground. We are in deep trouble.”
The tension highlights the growing strain on resources as Myanmar’s civil war enters its fifth year. Most residents of Camp No. 7 are from Bawlakhe and currently rely on irregular day labor to survive.
A camp official noted that while some locals are sympathetic, many are struggling themselves and prioritize their own families or relatives for agricultural work. “Most of us just want to grow sesame or basic vegetables for home consumption,” he said. “Those near the stream try to fish, but it isn’t enough.”
The situation is equally dire in western Demoso. At the Lin Yaung Chi IDP camp, which houses 32 families, residents faced actual food shortages in 2024. Ko Yan Naing Soe, the camp’s deputy leader, explained that income has vanished as locals prefer to hire their own relatives for farm work.
“We have been fleeing since the coup began,” he said. “With no land to till and no one hiring us, we have no income. People are so impoverished that we can’t even find anyone to borrow money from anymore.”
According to Ko Bannya, Secretary (2) of the Karenni State Interim Executive Council (IEC), there are nearly 250,000 displaced people in Karenni State. Approximately 150,000 reside in organized camps, while the rest stay in makeshift shelters or with host families.
The IEC has previously had to intervene in administrative disputes, including a recent incident in Demoso where local committees attempted to tax impoverished IDPs for running small stalls. The taxes were eventually scrapped after a formal complaint.
As the military continues its multi-front offensive in the region, the pressure on land and food is expected to intensify, leaving thousands of families at risk of long-term malnutrition and total dependence on dwindling aid.
