THOUSANDS of people have fled renewed violence in the north of Myanmar as tensions escalate on the country’s volatile border with China.

The United Nations said that more than 4,000 people have been displaced in the last three weeks after fighting between government forces and separatist insurgents intensified.

Mark Cutts, head of the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said:  “We have received reports from local organisations saying that there are still many civilians who remain trapped in conflict-affected areas.

“Our biggest concern is for the safety of civilians, including pregnant women, the elderly, small children and people with disabilities. We must ensure that these people are protected.”

Last week, government warplanes started air strikes on Kachin state in the remote north of the country, where more than 15,000 people have been forced to flee since the start of the year.

Myanmar’s military is fighting the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), which the government designates as a terrorist organisation. 

The 8,000-strong KIA is made up mainly of Christians, who comprise the second-largest religious grouping in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar.

Around 100,000 people have been displaced since the breakdown of a 17-year ceasefire in 2011 and are  living in refugee camps in the states of Kachin and Shan.

KIA spokesman Colonel Naw Bu warned that the government’s increased military intervention risks worsening a humanitarian crisis in the region.

“The army is sending more troops from the lower part of Myanmar … the number of refugees could increase and they could suffer more challenges,” he said.

A coalition of 32 groups in Kachin urged the UN security council to refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court over the killing and displacement of civilians in army operations.