Bauk Seng Pan and her family had called Zai Awng camp in Kachin State home for five years, but conditions there became increasingly unsafe in December 2016 as a result of intensified fighting nearby.

“We were hearing the loud sound of heavy weapons and gun shots for days. Fighter planes came close to the camp. We had to build a bomb shelter in Zai Awng camp. When we heard the planes coming, the whole family would go into the bunkers and stay inside for hours. We were terrified,” the 22- year-old mother recalled.

Just weeks away from delivering her third child, Bauk Seng Pan took the difficult decision to gather her family and flee towards the Chinese border in search of safety. They were not alone. In late December 2016, fighting close to civilian areas saw almost 7,000 people abandon three displacement camps in non-Government controlled parts of Kachin (Maga Yang, Hkau Shau and Zai Awng/Mungga Zup). OCHA’s Head of Office in Myanmar, Mark Cutts, said the recent fighting close to displacement camps is deeply worrying and the immediate priority is to ensure the protection of civilians.

“Civilians, particularly women, children and elderly people, are bearing the brunt of this conflict. It's a tough life for families being shunted from place to place in a war zone in freezing conditions. Humanitarian workers are doing what they can to meet the needs of these incredibly vulnerable people, many of whom have been displaced multiple times,” Mr Cutts said.

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