Aid groups in Myanmar’s Kayah State have warned of worsening food shortages as the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military) continues its campaign against civilians.
Kayah (also known as Karenni State) is home to a large Christian community.
Among the worst-affected areas is Demoso Township, where many of those displaced by the violence are now facing severe hunger.
A church building in Demoso Township, Kayah State, was heavily damaged in a military strike on civilian targets [Image credit: Kantarawaddy Times]
In September a church building in Tanan Ukwaing, western Demoso, was severely damaged in a Tatmadaw strike. No casualties were reported.
“This was a deliberate attack on a civilian location,” said a local leader.
Food prices in Kayah have increased by between 300 and 400% owing to military blockades of trade routes. The displacement of communities by military strikes has also left farmland uncultivated, while acres of crops have been destroyed.
Since the military coup that brought the Tatmadaw to power in February 2021, at least 250,000 people in Kayah have been displaced from their homes, including more than 45,000 in the past three months.
The Karenni Human Rights Group has accused the Tatmadaw of deliberately engineering food shortages as a method of warfare.
For decades the Tatmadaw has persecuted Myanmar’s small Christian community, estimated at 6.2% of the population. Attacks against the Christian-majority Chin, Kachin and Karen ethnic groups – and other groups with significant Christian minorities, including the Kayah people – have increased again since the 2021 coup.
How you can pray
Ask the Lord to provide for the displaced and traumatised. Pray especially for our brothers and sisters in Christ, asking that their faith will be strengthened as they experience hardship. Pray for peace in Kayah State and throughout Myanmar.
