‘Refugees in our own land’

Myanmar is a country at war with itself. Civil war has raged since a military coup in 2021.
By March 2023, the UN estimated that since the coup, 17.6 million people in Myanmar required humanitarian assistance, while 1.6 million were internally displaced, and 55,000 civilian buildings had been destroyed.

The situation is only getting worse for the country's Christian minority. Here, a minister in the Methodist Church Upper Myanmar (MCUM) tells us about the impact of the ongoing war.
*Please note that the names of places and people have been removed from this message for the safety of those involved.

“Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

As the situations had changed from bad to worse, there was no choice except to flee to somewhere safe. At the moment, my family and I are in a new town. I am afraid that our District may possibly impossible to get back on to its own circumstances due to the regime. More than 450 church members in the District had fled to a nearby town and food is provided by samaritans. Therefore, we have to start of thinking how we can settle in our new town for a moment of time because the military armed forces are still holding on to develop their territories in the North West. It is still a relief to know that our Methodist District compound is still safe but it stands at the edge of devastation.

Prayers still the prominent key for our brothers and sisters in Christ. As for my family and I, we are in the situation of changing our settlements in our current town, owing to no way of going home since the military council have ordered the soldiers to raze, significantly, to the minor ethical cities and towns. I can’t guarantee that this town will be safe in terms of razing by the military soldiers but as for now, this is the only safe place for our Chin people.

To sum up, as I am about to find a temporary accommodation for my family. So, I will surely need your prayer and support as we become refugees in our own land.

May the Lord be with you all."