Join our mailing list for latest news and information about Burma.

Karen State September 2016 Conflict: The Real Motivations Behind Renewed War

By Karen Rivers Watch  •  September 29, 2016

While the Burmese government and Karen leaders are holding historic peace talks in Naypyidaw, the Burma Army and its Border Guard Force (BGF) wages war in Karen State to expand its control over Karen territories, in order to push for an environmentally and socially destructive hydropower project on the Salween River – the Hatgyi Dam.

Karen Rivers Watch, a network of Karen community-based organizations working to protect the Salween River, calls attention to the fact that this is not the first time that the Burma military has instigated conflict in Karen State to take control of Hatgyi Dam area. From September to October 2014, a series of violent clashes caused chaos across both Mon and Karen states, displacing over 2,000 people.1 Two years later, the Burma military is taking the same steps once again in Karen State, instead of de-escalating existing conflicts.

The Burma Army is taking advantage of the BGF-Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) splinter group conflict to take new territory and reinforce its forward positions in Karen State, in order to ensure that the Hatgyi Dam project can move ahead without opposition. In the process of doing so, the Burma Army and the BGF have displaced over 5,000 people from their homes in a matter of days, many of whom have taken shelter in Myaing Gyi Ngu town.

Download this full updated in English here.

Tags: Border Guard Force, Business and Human Rights, Displacement, Karen Rivers Watch, Karen State, Military Engagement

This post is in: Children and Youth, Displacement, Economy, Ethnic Nationalities, Human Rights, Women

Related Posts
Burma Army Displays Blatant Disregard for 21st Century Panglong Peace Process
Burma Army’s actions in Karen State threaten to expand fighting, endangering peace process and displaced people’s return
Hpa-an Situation Update: Hlaingbwe and Paingkyon townships, March to May 2016
Legal Analysis Statement on current armed conflict in Karen State from the perspective of human rights and the rule of law vis-a-vis the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement
Burma Army and Proxy Army Send IDP’s Running in Hpa-An district, Karen State