Thousands of ethnic Chin Christians are enduring severe food shortages in Mynanar because government forces have put up road blockades, cutting off food supplies.
For the last six months, the transport of rice has been severely limited in the Christian-majority Chin state. Families are struggling to survive on limited rations of bananas and vegetables. Food shortages have forced many Christians to leave the villages of Shangon and Mingaladon near the Dalet Chaung village tract. However, a government-imposed block on internet and mobile services means little is known about how the situation is affecting communities in the area.
Life-threatening
‘We are very concerned about children and breast-feeding mothers,’ said a spokeswoman for the Relief and Rehabilitation Committee for Chin IDPs (internally displaced people). ‘It could be a life-threatening situation.’
Ethnic Chin NGOs are attempting to deliver rice to villagers, but first they must obtain permission from the Myanmar army. ‘There’s no food in some places, so we arranged to donate 50 sacks of rice to places where residents cannot go anywhere,’ said Salai Win Maung from the Chin Humanitarian Assistance team. ‘But we have not yet received permission from the army.’
Fighting between government forces and the Arakan army (a rebel military force of Rakhine Buddhists seeking greater self-governance) has been raging in the area for the past 18 months. The conflict has killed 260 civilians and displaced more than 160,000 people.
