The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed his deep concern over the escalating conflict in Myanmar.
According to the UN, the number of people displaced by the fighting has reached two million, and the Secretary-General appealed to all sides to protect non-combatants and open access to humanitarian aid.
The striking success of an alliance of three ethnic armed groups in Shan State in driving the army and police out of large areas along the border with China has emboldened other opposition forces around Myanmar.
In Kayah State, south of Shan State along the border with Thailand, ethnic Karenni insurgents, who already control much of the state, are attacking the main town of Loikaw and have already captured the university on its outskirts.
Volunteer people’s defence forces (PDFs) – the militias formed by local activists after the suppression of peaceful protest back in 2021 – have launched their own attacks to take advantage of the military’s setbacks in Shan State and keep up the pressure on the ruling junta.
