Clashes broke out again between the Kachin Independece Army and the Burmese Army on 15 Jan. On the 19 Jan two Christian volunteer teachers were raped and killed and 2,000+ Christian-majority Kachin had to flee their homes to safety. Seizing the village of Hpakant, the Burmese Army has trapped its 1,000 remaining residents, allowing no one to leave and no aid to get in. Even Church leaders have been prevented from entering the village to help the situation. The Kachin are a mainly Christian Burmese people group. Over 200,000 Kachin have been displaced since June 2011 many are living in camps. Barnabas Fund has assisted them with emergency food aid, school materials, basic living supplies, shoes and raincoats for children, and Bibles in the Kachin language. (Burma Day of Prayer in 2015 is Saturday 14 March)