The fall of two regime army camps near the southern Kachin State town of Momauk earlier this week has sent thousands of people living there fleeing for safety, according to residents.
Col. Naw Bu, the spokesperson for the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), said the group and its allies captured the junta’s Kyauksakhan camp, located about two miles east of the town, on Tuesday, and the nearby Mai Sak Kawng camp the following day.
The latest advances by the anti-regime forces have raised fears of an escalation of the conflict in and around the town of roughly 11,000 inhabitants, said one man.
“The fighting is getting very close to our town, so people are fleeing to escape the war,” he said, adding that some residents are heading west towards Bhamo, while others are going north to state capital Myitkyina.
“About half the town left a day ago, but. . .
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