23 April 2026 By Poesangle
NAUNG CHO, Myanmar — For the sugarcane farmers of Naung Cho, the end of active combat has brought little peace. Instead, the fields that once promised a bountiful harvest have become a deadly landscape of hidden landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), claiming dozens of lives in just four months.
Since the beginning of 2026, at least 32 people, including children, have been maimed and three killed by explosive remnants of war in this strategic township of northern Shan State. Most victims were struck while attempting to harvest sugarcane or clear farmland near villages such as Ummathee, Taung Kham, and Naung Leik.
Despite repeated pleas from the local community, systemic mine clearance has been restricted to urban areas, leaving rural farmlands dangerously contaminated. The risk is so high that more than 100 sugarcane plantations have been completely abandoned.
“We have begged the authorities to clear the mines, but they don’t help with our farms or plantations,” a resident from the Nyaung Taw village tract told MPA. “Some farmers are now burning their sugarcane fields entirely before stepping in to harvest, hoping the heat will trigger any hidden mines. Others simply leave their crops to rot; it’s better than losing a leg.”
The danger comes at a time of rising prices for sugarcane, which should have been an economic lifeline for a region devastated by the conflict between the Myanmar military and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA).
Instead, the fear of “hidden killers” is driving a fresh wave of migration. With their fields inaccessible, many families are leaving for larger cities like Yangon and Mandalay, or crossing the border into China and the Wa-controlled territories in search of work.
“This year, the price of sugarcane is actually good, but very few are brave enough to cut it,” a woman from Naung Cho said. “My own daughter has gone to work in the Wa region to send money back. We still haven’t been able to rebuild our home since it was destroyed in the fighting last year. We are caught between the risk of mines and the reality of hunger.”
The security situation in Naung Cho remains volatile. While the TNLA seized control of the town in July 2024, the military junta recaptured it exactly a year later. This shifting frontline has left the earth littered with diverse explosives, from improvised mines to heavy artillery shells that failed to detonate.
As the monsoon season approaches, humanitarian groups warn that shifting soil and rain could further displace buried mines, making the task of clearing these “silent veterans” of war even more difficult. For the residents of Naung Cho, the struggle for survival continues long after the guns have fallen silent, as they wait for someone to make their soil safe again.
