Photo Essay: Madaya’s war-displaced seek shelter among the islands of the Ayeyarwady

In Mandalay Region’s Madaya Township, just north of Myanmar’s second-largest city, fierce clashes between regime and resistance forces have forced thousands of local villagers to flee their homes. According to figures compiled by the anti-junta Madaya Township People’s Administration Organisation, there are 38 camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) throughout the township, housing around 5,650 people from nearly 1,700 households. Most of these displaced civilians are from around 30 villages along the eastern bank of the Ayeyarwady River. Many have scattered in groups across the river’s islands, far from the battle zones and the junta’s army camps. To survive, they have had to rely mostly on their own efforts, earning a living by fishing or making thatch to cover the simple bamboo huts that house many people in this region, including the IDPs themselves. But even as they struggle to make ends meet, security remains a major concern. As in other parts of the country where resistance forces have made significant gains, the regime routinely targets civilians in Madaya Township, last month killing 12 in a single attack on an IDP camp. Meanwhile, the Mandalay People’s Defence Force and other local groups opposed to the junta continue their offensive in the region. Singu Township, north of Madaya, is already fully under their control, while Thabeikkyin Township, even farther north, has only a handful of junta camps left to capture. As they cling to their precarious livelihoods, the villagers of Madaya Township remain constantly alert to the threat of junta counterattacks—and always ready to run.

Photo Essay: Madaya’s war-displaced seek shelter among the islands of the Ayeyarwady

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