The Karen National Union (KNU) said April 12 that it will establish its own administrative mechanism in territory recently captured from Burma’s military in and around the critical trade hub of Myawaddy, on the border with Thailand. The KNU has several departments in its governance structure, including those for health, education, foreign affairs and defense, in territories it controls in seven districts across southeastern Burma, including in Karen (Kayin) and Mon states and Bago and Tanintharyi regions. The junta has lost control of several towns on the border with China to other rebel armies in recent months, but the loss of Myawaddy is a special blow, as it is the transfer point for most of Burma’s overland trade with Thailand. (Myanmar Now)
On April 4, the United Nations Security Council held its first meeting on Burma since the miitary coup of 2021. Senior UN officials told the meeting that the ongoing fighting in Burma has deprived local communities of basic needs and access to essential services, with devastating impacts on human rights and fundamental freedoms. According to Lise Doughten, director of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), 2.8 million people in Burma are now displaced. (Jurist)
Also on April 4, UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution to call on UN member states to refrain from supplying jet fuel to the Burmese military, citing ongoing deadly air-strikes on rebel-held areas. (Jurist)
Map: PCL
