The Christian frontline aid group Free Burma Rangers helps the victims and now shares with “Bitter Winter” real-time information.
by Antonio Graceffo
On the evening of November 29, David Eubank, head of Free Burma Rangers—a Christian faith-driven frontline aid organization—, reported in real-time on a Burma Army attack on civilians. Gunshots could be heard in the background as he stated, “I’m in an area of fighting right now outside our camp.” He and his team were on an aid mission when civilians near their position came under attack by government troops.
With increasing frequency and ferocity, junta forces have been targeting not only civilians and villages but also internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, as well as churches and schools. This is doubly tragic because those in IDP camps have already fled the fighting, abandoning their homes, livestock, and rice fields. Cowering in makeshift shelters in the jungle, with no UN protection and minimal external support, these displaced people continue to serve as targets for government airstrikes and bombings.
“Two churches were burned in Kachin State, bombed by the Burma Army, and families were killed. The IDP camps were attacked multiple times,” he reported. “Bangkok IDP camp in Karenni State was hit twice with fatalities.”
In September, junta forces bombed an IDP camp in Shan State, killing 19 civilians. This week, Free Burma Rangers (FBR) reported that in northern Karen State, the Burma Army fired howitzers at IDP areas and schools, causing casualties among villagers and students.
In addition to Free Burma Rangers, reports from the ground are provided by prodemocracy ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), their associated political parties and media outlets, and international observers. These sources consistently corroborate accounts of persistent attacks on civilians, including adults and children in IDP camps. Many of the more than three and a half million migrants crossing into Thailand are twice displaced, having fled IDP camps where their security and access to food were dangerously uncertain.
In the past month, Free Burma Rangers (FBR) reported a series of attacks by the Burma Army targeting internally displaced persons (IDPs), as well as churches and schools, in Northern and Central Karen State. These attacks have resulted in significant civilian casualties, injuries, and mass displacement.
In Northern Karen State’s Kler Lwe Htoo District, the Burma military targeted IDP areas, firing howitzers and killing or abducting more than 10 civilians. On November 17, Burma Army troops fired six howitzer rounds, killing two villagers, and injuring three others, including a 75-year-old man. Two days later, on November 19, the military launched an assault on civilian areas, firing 51 rounds of heavy munitions, including 120mm and 81mm shells, forcing approximately 6,451 villagers to flee their homes.
In Doh Township, the Burma military carried out a drone attack on Way Daw Koh School, injuring four students. One of the injured students, who sustained a shoulder injury, is currently receiving treatment at a Karen National Union (KNU) clinic.
The following day, two howitzer rounds destroyed two houses and injured two IDPs. In a separate incident, the Burma Army fired 17 howitzer rounds, injuring two additional IDPs. Karen medics treated the injured civilians. Additionally, Burma Army troops from Kyauk Kyi abducted two civilians from Noh Klaw village.
In Central Karen State, fighting escalated as clashes intensified between the Burma Army and resistance forces. Free Burma Rangers assisted in treating casualties, evacuating IDPs to safer hide sites, and providing medical care to those injured in the conflict.
“It’s just evil,” said Eubank, reflecting on the Burma Army’s relentless assault on civilians. “And that quote from Edmund Burke comes to mind: ‘All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.’ So, we need to do something.”
He continued, “When I see these people attacked, it just makes me sad and mad… They [the junta forces] destroy. With God’s help, we build up. We build up only because of God and Christians all over the world who stand with the displaced—praying together, suffering together, mourning together, comforting together, and not giving up because God hasn’t given up. That’s how we keep going.”
