Some Mobye Residents Forced to Abandon Farms and Flee Amid Fighting

Since the third week of July, junta troops have repeatedly used heavy weapons and drones to attack the western part of Mobye town on the Shan-Karenni border, forcing residents of Lwe Wine village and surrounding areas to abandon their crops and flee, according to residents. “Most of what’s been left behind is in Lwe Wine. Even though the crops have already been planted, people still don’t dare go back to tend them. As for the hill paddy, we need to go back and spray pesticide, but no one dares to do that either. The bush has grown thick, and it’s just been left as it is,” said one local man. Farmers say they have been trying to hire day laborers to weed their planted fields and clear the land, but no one has been willing to come and work because of the security risks. Residents also report hearing the sound of heavy weapons fire daily inside Mobye town, while drones have been seen flying reconnaissance missions toward the village. Despite the danger from junta heavy weapons fire and drones near the village and hill farms, some residents say they have no choice but to keep farming for their survival, even as they live in fear. “We’re scared, of course. But we need food, so there’s hardship either way. If we don’t farm now, what will we eat next year? That’s why we have to do it,” said a farmer. Clashes between resistance forces and junta troops are reportedly occurring frequently in Mobye. Because of the ongoing military situation in the area, the Mobye People’s Defense Force (PDF) has also warned residents against traveling to Lwe Wine, the foothill of Lwe Yin mountain, and Khaung Sam Road in western Mobye for security reasons. Residents and IDPs in western Mobye reportedly grow rice and maize as their primary subsistence crops. Locals say they must carry out their farming work cautiously, keeping a close watch on the security situation.