Four years ago, a clash between government soldiers and rebels from the Kachin Independence Army in northern Myanmar renewed civil war in Kachin State.

The Kachin Independence Organization, formed shortly after Myanmar’s independence from Britain, pursued the path of armed struggle for 33 years from 1961 until 1994, after which they signed a ceasefire agreement with the military-backed government. The ceasefire lasted for 17 years and was dissolved only when fighting erupted again in June 2011.

The June 2011 clashes displaced thousands of people who fled to the Chinese border to escape the fighting. Many of them are still living in makeshift camps near the border four years after the resumption of hostilities between the government and rebel forces.

To commemorate this and to raise awareness, hundreds of youth and civil society groups gathered on June 7, 2015, in the former capital city Yangon to call for an end to hostilities and gather support for internally displaced persons (IDP). The event was called “Concern, Care, and Contribute to the IDPs Now”.

According to UNHCR, over 100,000 people have been displaced as result of this renewed fighting between the government and the ethnic armed forces. International aid organizations have direct access only to the IDP camps in government-controlled areas.

Burma Partnership, a network of advocacy organizations, released a statement with support from 56 solidarity groups, calling for an immediate stop to all hostilities and unlimited access for humanitarian organizations to aid thousands of IDPs living in the northern border.

Lahpai Seng Raw from Metta Development Foundation gave a speech about the conditions of the people displaced as a result of war.

As the war continues, the situation in the camps shows no sign of improvement. Aid from international organizations has dwindled which led to food scarcity in many remote camps.

Myanmar’s refugee crisis continues to worsen. Aside from the 100,000 Kachin IDPs near the Chinese border, there are also 140,000 Rohingya refugees in Sittwe township of Rakhine State, and 230,000 IDPs living in southeast region of Myanmar who need immediate humanitarian assistance. Meanwhile, 120,000 refugees living in western Thailand are waiting for their resettlement back to Myanmar.

Read more: globalvoicesonline.org – Written by Thant Sin