RFA
Thousands of civilians staged protests in 11 villages in southeastern Myanmar’s Kayin and Mon states Wednesday, demanding that the country’s military withdraw from their area and abide by a nationwide cease-fire agreement reached in 2015.
The protests follow a flare-up since early December in fighting between Myanmar forces and the Karen National Union (KNU), with recent armed clashes causing more than 5,000 residents to flee their homes for refugee camps.
The KNU, Myanmar’s oldest ethnic rebel army, is one of 10 ethnic armies that have signed the Nationwide Cease-Fire Agreement (NCA) with the Myanmar military. The fragile October 2015 pact is intended to end decades of conflict that have hindered Myanmar’s political and economic development.