Field tracker · Myanmar · Southeast Asia

ASIA/MYANMAR - Bishop in Kachin State, in the midst of conflict: "Without God's help, we can do nothing. I tell the faithful: let us pray more"

by Paolo Affatato Myitkyina - "Jesus tells us in the Gospel: do not be afraid. This is my motto. God will help us, no matter what happens. In our situation, we must entrust ourselves to God. I tell my people: let us pray more." This is the testimony of faith shared with Fides by John Mung Ngawn La Sam, Bishop of Myitkyina, the capital of Kachin State, a territory marked by intense fighting due to the ongoing civil war in Myanmar. In the state located in northern Myanmar, clashes continue between the military and opposition groups, which unite the People's Defense Forces and ethnic minority armed groups such as the Kachin Independence Army , and the situation remains highly unstable. The Bishop tells Fides that "people are struggling to survive" and, while the entire educational system has been fragmented or disrupted due to the war, education is also entrusted "to the goodwill of many people, such as the nuns and catechists who organize informal classes for children and young people." "In our situation," he continues, "we live day by day; the faithful have had to leave their villages and parishes, they have been forced to flee, but in many places, such as refugee camps and informal settlements, given the prolonged displacement, a certain balance has almost been found. In other words, people have almost become accustomed to this precarious life, which, however, cannot be our future," he declares. "We are all tired of the conflict. Hundreds of thousands of displaced people are suffering," he says, speaking of the serious humanitarian impact affecting approximately 250,000 people in Kachin State, according to recent estimates by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “They are housed in refugee camps or in small encampments in wooded areas where they have gathered. They all live together: Christians and Buddhists. Every now and then I go to visit them and we celebrate Mass together. In the months of 2026, I administered as many as 900 confirmations to young people between the ages of 12 and 15. These are young people with the light of Christ in their eyes and in their hearts: they are our hope, their lives are a great sign of hope,” he recalls. The Bishop continues: “I listen to the suffering of the displaced and I am moved. Through Karuna, our Caritas, we help them and provide basic necessities. And I only say one thing: we must pray more, there is no other solution. Prayer is important, it is the bond that keeps us united to the Lord, let us ask Him to help us and take care of us in this precarious situation,” he says. The Bishop can still live in the cathedral of Myitkyina because, he says, "there is no fighting in the city since Myitkyina is controlled by the regular army," although tensions are still strongly felt. La Sam says: "We must have faith and hope with all our hearts. We must believe that next year will be better than this year. We must pray more, I always tell the faithful." "We can do nothing but wait and pray. Because without God's help, we can do nothing. Therefore, we hope that a process of national reconciliation can begin, which, God willing, will be possible and will restore peace," he concludes. Located in the far north of the country, bordering China and India, Kachin State is one of the states most severely affected by the civil war that erupted after the military coup of February 2021. However, the conflict in the region has older roots: the truce between the Burmese army and the KIA had already fallen through in 2011, and the conflict also concerned control of natural resources such as timber and jade mines, which the region is rich in. The capital of Kachin State, Myitkyina currently hosts the headquarters of the Northern Military Command of the Burmese army and remains heavily guarded by government forces. In the surrounding areas, the territory is the scene of clashes, fighting, ambushes, and bombings affecting villages, with serious consequences for the civilian population. In the context of a humanitarian emergency, the local Catholic Church represents one of the few remaining pillars of assistance, psychological support, education, social and interreligious cohesion, and spiritual accompaniment for refugees.

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