The Gateway Pundit contributor Antonio Graceffo just returned from Karenni State, Burma—one of three Christian-majority states—where the humanitarian situation is dire. Nearly 100% of the population has been internally displaced by the war, which has only intensified since the 2021 coup.
Almost no humanitarian aid is reaching these displaced communities because large international aid organizations operate through the military junta, which deliberately restricts assistance to ethnic states.
Burma has been hit hard by President Trump’s freeze on foreign aid, but he made the right call. Big aid projects funnel money to the dictatorship, waste funds on inflated salaries, and prioritize non-essential programs and woke agendas instead of providing food and lifesaving medicine.
Free Burma Rangers (FBR), a small faith-based aid organization that pays almost no salaries, is delivering as much direct aid as possible.
However, their entire budget is only about $6 million per year—spread not only across Burma but also their international missions in Syria, Iraq, Ukraine, and beyond.
The Catholic Church continues to provide education and as much food as possible, but resources are stretched thin.
Many dioceses that once oversaw a single church and a couple of priests are now responsible for eight or more internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, often located in remote jungle areas. Reaching every camp regularly is a logistical challenge.
The most effective use of aid money would be to fund small organizations like FBR or ethnic churches—groups that don’t waste funds on salaries, diversity initiatives, or bureaucratic overhead.
Nearly 100% of their funding goes directly toward food, medicine, education, and shelter for the desperate displaced population.
Food Crisis in IDP Camps
The UN estimates that an average person needs 16 kilograms of rice per month to survive. However, many IDP camps can only provide 16 kilograms per family per month, resulting in widespread hunger.
Most camps cannot afford to distribute cooking oil, salt, or any food beyond basic rice rations. They also lack essential hygiene products like soap and laundry detergent.
Displaced people are hungry, unable to properly wash, and have no jobs. In many camps, children have no access to education. To make matters worse, the Burmese government routinely bombs these camps, further compounding their suffering.
There is only one severely underfunded rehabilitation center for the growing number of amputees, especially young people who have lost limbs to government mortars or landmines.
Infrastructure Collapse
Since the 2021 coup, Karenni State has had no electricity, running water, internet, or phone service. People rely on solar chargers for small devices like razors and phones or pay a small fee to recharge at shops running generators.
Starlink, used by some institutions and businesses, is the only means of communication within the state or with the outside world.
Economic Devastation
Since the coup, almost all businesses have ceased operations. Mines are one of the only sources of cash employment, with the lowest-paid workers earning less than $6 per day—less than what an undocumented laborer in Thailand would make.
However, mining offers one advantage over migration: steady work. The conditions, though, are harsh.
Women spend their days separating ore from rock with hammers, while their young children sit beside them in the mines. Most of the population has no regular cash income.
Relentless Airstrikes and War Crimes
Over the past four years, about a third of all churches, every hospital, and most schools in Karenni State have been hit by airstrikes. The Burma Army continues to deliberately target civilians.
Airstrikes are a daily occurrence, and because the resistance has no aircraft, people have come to recognize every plane and drone as a threat. Bomb shelters are everywhere.
Most men and many young women participate in the pro-democracy resistance. Their only other option is to sit idly by and suffer at the hands of the Burma Army.
Civilians live in makeshift shelters made of plastic tarps while countless homes sit abandoned.
The Burma Army has booby-trapped these homes and littered the surrounding areas with landmines. Even when peace finally comes, it could take decades to clear the explosives and make the homes livable again.
Civilian Government
Despite the war and mass militarization, Karenni State has no conscription. Khun Bedu, chairman of the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF), is working to support civil society institutions and transition leadership to the civilian government while cooperating with the National Unity Government (NUG).
Ministries of health, education, and other civil services are partnering with existing networks, including churches and the few remaining privately funded projects.
Burma remains a worthy cause in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Karenni State is on the brink of rebuilding its civilian institutions and leadership, yet relentless airstrikes make it impossible for both the civilian government and the local population to restore any sense of normalcy.
The people of Myanmar are calling for prayers and political recognition of their ethnic state governments, particularly Karenni State, which has built highly functional civil institutions. They desperately need food, medicine, hygiene products, and military support to stop the relentless airstrikes.
Since 1948, the people of Burma have fought this war alone, showing unwavering perseverance. Now, they need just a little more support—to feed their people and strike the final blow against the junta.
The post Surviving Myanmar’s Military Junta: Inside the Relentless War on Burma’s Karenni State — One of Three Christian-Majority States (PHOTOS) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.