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In November 2011, Refugees International visited Burma to assess the role of ethnic minorities in the country’s ongoing political transition. Currently, Burma is experiencing a wave of reforms that suggest significant political opening. But while this shift has been greeted with great optimism in Yangon, those living in ethnic states outside the de facto capital are much more cautious. Approximately 50,000 people have been displaced by fighting in northern Kachin State, human rights abuses have continued (especially against women and children), and international organizations are struggling to gain access and provide assistance to vulnerable groups.