A Nightmare in Sagaing
One of the ground groups that Better Burma has supported is Healing Hands. Shade a member of this group, spoke to us on a recent podcast episode about their work. In the following excerpt, Shade describes the background and history of the rural Sagaing region, where his group is most active in providing support. The aid work that Shade and his colleagues are providing are all the more crucial given the terrible violence being inflicted on people living there, as you’ll read below. If you are so moved, please consider a contribution of any amount to help with Healing Hands’s work.
“Now, with the military’s actions, including scorched-earth tactics and blocking of medical aid and supplies, the need for medical access, as well as basic necessities like food and shelter, has become dire for IDPs, local populations, and the elderly in these areas.”
"Back during the post-independence era when the Communist Party of Burma rose up against the central government in the Dry Zone, that was the time when a significant resistance movement last occurred there. Since then, the dry zone has been relatively quiet, but not peaceful, given the absence of genuine peace under military rule. Even in 1988 and afterward, there was no notable military resistance movement in the dry zone, although conflicts did arise in certain Borderlands and areas where students took up arms, such as the ABSDF.
It wasn't until 2021 that significant conflict resurfaced, which was quite unexpected for the military. This fierce resistance led the military to employ brutal scorched-earth tactics, similar to what they've used in other ethnic regions. As you can see, the Sagaing region is a hot zone right now. The resistance is incredibly fierce, contentious, and resilient.
It's been going on, and also around Magwe. The dry zone area in central Burma has been resisting the military's actions. Even before the armed conflicts happened and during the early days of the protests in places like Monywa and around those areas, there were a lot of protests. Even these days, protests are still ongoing despite the ongoing conflicts. The military is attempting to crush these places, and the tactics they use are quite brutal. It's like a textbook example of Burmese military tactics!
They target civilian areas intentionally, knowing that when people suffer, lose their homes, and livelihoods, they won't have the time or energy to resist the regime actively. They believe that if people are suffering, they won't be able to fight back effectively, which is why they aim at civilians. It's also part of their divide-and-rule tactics, trying to send the message that resisting them leads to suffering, while submission will spare them. However, in reality, even those who don't resist are subject to violence, with villages being burned, and people tortured and killed. This psychological tactic is being employed effectively.
Amid all this, they've cut off access to food, medical supplies, and communication through what's called a four-cut strategy. In some areas, there's no internet or phone service left, not even basic communication lines. This situation is truly dire. People's livelihoods are being destroyed, and some are losing their lives. It's a terrible time, and the military is resorting to these cruel tactics to maintain control and suppress resistance.
I also know that in some areas, even information lines aren't available anymore. All communications have been cut off. It's a truly terrible situation there. Even before the coup, healthcare in these areas was already poor, with a severe lack of access to proper medical facilities. Now, with the military's actions, including scorched-earth tactics and blocking of medical aid and supplies, the need for medical access, as well as basic necessities like food and shelter, has become dire for IDPs, local populations, and the elderly in these areas.
There are numerous internally displaced people (IDPs) hiding in the jungles, unable to return to their homes. Even those who manage to go back find their villages in ruins, as the military has burned everything down. They live in constant fear of the military's return or the possibility of aerial bombings.
As I mentioned before, this situation is a textbook example of the Burmese military's campaigns and tactics, particularly terror tactics that deliberately target civilian populations. The military knows that without the support of the people, resistance movements weaken, so they focus on targeting civilians to break their spirit and quash any opposition.
Overall, the situation is dire, with civilians facing immense suffering and fear in the midst of military oppression and violence.”