Source UCA

HONG KONG, SAR: The intense fighting between the military and rebel forces prompted Daw Nyo Nyo, 50, to flee his home in Kyauktu town in central Myanmar's Magway region with his family earlier this year.
 The former public school teacher — he lost his job as punishment for joining the anti-junta civil disobedience movement — has since been living at a relative’s house in Yangon, the country’s largest city and commercial hub.
 “Renting an apartment is too expensive. Besides, I am also unemployed, and the prices of daily essentials are high. All refugees who relocated to Yangon face a similar situation,” Nyo told UCA News.
 Ma Thu Zar, a 33-year-old housewife from Taungup township in Rakhine State, has also moved to Yangon to escape deadly fighting there.
 The conflict disrupted road communications and mobile and internet services, making it impossible to live in Rakhine. The prices of daily essentials also rose sharply, prompting the family to move to Yangon, which has been relatively peaceful.
 Her family of five now lives in a small house in North Okkalapa Township, paying 500,000 kyats (US$150) monthly rent.
 “It is a heavy burden. Yangon suffers frequent power outages, complicating our daily lives. I am currently unemployed and looking for work to help support my family,” Zar told UCA News.
 The difficulties people like Nyo and Zar face are shared across conflict-torn Myanmar.
 The civil war sparked by the military takeover in February 2021 has left at least 7,650 people dead and over three million displaced, according to rights groups.
 The conflict has affected over 23 million people, or 43 percent of the nation’s estimated population, in 13 regions and states, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a global conflict watchdog.
 The most displaced people are from the Sagaing Region, Rakhine and Shan states.
 More people are leaving Rakhine state after fighting between the military and rebel forces intensified over the past six months, it said.
 The conflict prompted many people from battleground states to relocate to largely unscathed cities and urban areas like Yangon and Mandalay, the second largest city.
 According to the Myanmar Real Estate Industry Development Association, the number of individuals escaping the fighting has risen, and rental costs in Yangon have doubled. Demand for rental housing now significantly outstrips that for property purchases.
 Yangon's downtown areas, including Pazundaung Township, have higher apartment rentals, according to Daw Soe Soe, a local real estate agent.
 “Conflict and political instability have prompted people from crisis zones to abandon their homes temporarily. More people are renting than buying an apartment in Yangon,” Soe told UCA News.
 “As a result, the price of apartments in Yangon is increasing daily. Previously, we had stable rates, but this demand surge has caused prices to fluctuate dramatically,” she explained.
 In Mandalay, the real estate market feels pressured as more people leave conflict-affected areas, resulting in rising rental costs.
 Many war refugees find themselves separated from family members because they cannot afford the high rents in urban areas.
 Ko Aung Phyo, 30, is a former teacher from a government-run primary school in Shwebo district of the Sagaing region.
 He quit his job and left the village after his home was destroyed along with at least 2,000 houses in bombings by the military earlier this year.
 Phyo moved to Mandalay while his parents, family members and relatives relocated to Myintkyina, in Kachin state.
 “I moved to Mandalay to look for work because I wanted to care for my family after my house burned down. I am currently working as a private school teacher in Mandalay and living in a hostel,” he told UCA News.
 Phyo said life is challenging for him. "My wage is minimal, making it impossible to pay monthly hostel fees and support my parents. Sometimes I have to borrow money from friends to make ends meet, which is stressful and overwhelming,” he lamented.
 With conflict intensifying around the Mandalay region, the rent in the city is expected to rise by 23 percent this year, according to ACLED.
 It has started taking a toll on the lives of already suffering people.
 On Aug. 8, fighting intensified between the military and rebel forces for control over Singu township, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Mandalay's city center.
 The battle for control of Patheingyi township, which straddles Mandalay and Pyin Oo Lwin township, also spilled over into other areas.
 It prompted thousands of residents in surrounding areas to flee their homes and move to Mandalay to escape the violence.