Myanmar's army has continued an offensive against the Kachin insurgency despite being ordered to stop fighting last month by the president, a rights group said Tuesday.

'In December, President Thein Sein ordered the army to halt military operations,' said Refugees International, a humanitarian organization. 'But at the time of writing, fighting continues - indicating that the military remains unwilling to submit to civilian authority.'

The group warned that a humanitarian crisis loomed in Kachin State in the north of the country due to the fighting that has displaced 30,000 civilians.

Thein Sein called for a halt to the military offensive on December 13, but that failed to stop the fighting, Refugees International said.

It said the refugees would face food and medical shortages next month unless donors respond quickly to a United Nations appeal for 6.4 million dollars in relief aid.

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