A/HRC/42/CRP.5 Tatmadaw’s own advantage, which included connecting two strategic military bases. 1535 Villagers affected by the project wrote letters, signed petitions and carried out protests rejecting the claim that the road was to their benefit.1536 As one villager stated: “The road might be beneficial for the military, but for the Karen people, the road will only do harm by destroying our land. The villagers were never consulted about if they wanted the road.”1537 643. In May 2018 negotiations at the Union level led to an agreement by the Tatmadaw to temporarily stop the road construction and withdraw its troops after a series of clashes occurred in March 2018 between the Tatmadaw and the KNLA over the project.1538 In February 2019 the potential for hostilities once again increased when Tatmadaw soldiers recommenced the road-building project.1539 644. Since 2018, the Tatmadaw’s consolidation of its bases in the region has included the building of new outposts, construction of helicopter landing pads and the introduction of additional soldiers and supplies including weaponry.1540 One person described how this consolidation has caused fear in the villagers. “We are seeing the Tatmadaw soldiers bring in military trucks full of really big weaponry, including mortar shells. These are weapons that people have not really seen before, so the villagers are so scared the fighting is going to break out soon,” he stated.1541 645. These activities have led to direct human rights violations of villagers living alongside or near to the road constructions or military bases. C. Human rights impact of the road construction project 646. In the context of the clashes between the KNLA and the Tatmadaw as a result of the roadbuilding and other military activities, the Mission verified instances of shelling by the Tatmadaw of Karen villages, resulting in civilian injuries, the destruction of property and displacement of civilians.1542 647. Villagers described to the Mission how shells landed on their farmlands, destroying harvests, damaging houses and killing livestock.1543 648. As a result of the rising tensions, including active clashes between the KNLA and the Tatmadaw, it is estimated that from January 2018 until August 2019, over 3,000 villagers have been displaced.1544 This includes people who were actively displaced from their villages as a result of shells falling in their villages, which was located close to the road construction.1545 649. A young Karen woman described how she was returning to her parents’ village from her boarding school to find that houses in her village had been damaged by shells and discovered that her family was forced to flee and seek shelter in the jungle. She described to the Mission that when she tracked down her family in the jungle her five younger siblings, parents and other relatives did not have enough food.1546 650. Many IDPs displaced by the current military tensions were forced to seek shelter in temporary makeshift shacks in the jungle where they lived in difficult conditions without 1535 1536 1537 1538 1539 1540 1541 1542 1543 1544 1545 1546 LM-037, LM-052, See also: http://www.nmg-news.com/knus-demands-military-road-constructionhalt-in-taungoo/ LI-189, LI-190, LI-198, LI-201 LI-198 LM-052, FFFGEN-1-84322, FFFGEN-1-90467 LM-034, LM-037, LM-052, FFFGEN-1-84322 LI-189, LI-193, LI-195, LI-201, FFFGEN-1-84322 LI-193 LI-189, LI-199, LI-200 LI-189, LI-191, LI-196, LI-200 FFFGEN-1-90473; LM-034 LI-196 LI-200 171