Over 20,000 refugees from Myanmar are gathered in border camps in China to escape the clashes between security forces and ethnic groups in northern Myanmar, Reuters reported.
In the latest attack, the ethnic Chinese Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) sneakily attacked police, government, and military sites. MNDAA is a part of the Northern Alliance coalition and counts the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) as one of its allies.
The conflict between the groups threatens the peace Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has promised minorities living in that region of the country.
Tensions are further exacerbated, what with the recent killings of approximately 30 people in Laukkai, the capital of Kokang, approximately 800 kilometers from Yangon. According to reports, the killings were the handiwork of ethnic Chinese insurgents. Laukkai bears the brunt of the conflict, and most of its residents have escaped the town.
Red Cross has already successfully transported over 1,000 Burmese migrant workers to mainland Myanmar.
China has already responded to the situation by providing humanitarian assistance and sending help to ensure peace in the affected region, said Geng Shuang, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry.
Geng called on both parties to “exercise restraint and immediately cease fire” to prevent further conflict.
“China supports Myanmar’s peace process and hopes all sides can use peaceful means to resolve their differences via dialogue and consultation,” Geng said during a news briefing.
People living close to the border have already been affected by the ethnic clashes. According to Geng, one person has already been injured due to stray bullets and shells flying into the area.
The ethnic clashes are just one of the many problems Aung San Suu Kyi’s year-old government faces. Militias are forming alliances in northern Myanmar, while insurgent Rohingyas are fighting back after decades of discrimination and persecution in the northwestern region.