Amid mass displacement from northern Shan State town, residents’ families fear for their safety 

As clashes intensified this week in the northern Shan State town of Mongmit, residents’ families said they were increasingly concerned for their loved ones’ wellbeing.

A Mandalay resident told Myanmar Now that he had been out of contact with an older brother in his 40s living in Mongmit’s Taung Paing Ward since January 18, when fighting broke out between junta forces an armed coalition of anti-junta fighters led by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). 

“We were still in touch before fighting broke out in Mongmit,” he said. “I’m at a loss for words. It’s beyond what I could imagine.  The town has been almost totally deserted, according to people who have fled from Mongmit to Mandalay recently.” 

Ma Thidar, a. . .