DHAKA: The United Nations has expressed serious concern for hundreds of Myanmar civilians, many of them children, trapped in a conflict zone in northern Kachin state amid renewed clashes between the army and rebels.

It said over a thousand displaced people are thought to be running short of food after being caught in a new bout of fighting between troops and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Mansi township in recent days, despite ongoing ceasefire negotiations.

‘I am seriously concerned about the civilians being caught in any crossfire, especially children and the elderly,’ said UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar Ashok Nigam in a statement released late Friday, reports The Straits Times.

Conflict in Kachin, near the northern border with China, broke out in June 2011 when a 17-year ceasefire crumbled. It has displaced some 100,000 people.

BDST: 1843 HRS, OCT 26, 2013
RoR/RIS