U.N. sounds alarm on violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State

Intense fighting in Myanmar’s Rakhine State poses a grave threat to civilians, the United Nations warned Friday, as it urged international pressure to prevent more “horrendous persecution” of ethnic Rohingya

Intense fighting in Myanmar's Rakhine State poses a grave threat to civilians, the United Nations warned on April 19, as it urged international pressure to prevent more "horrendous persecution" of ethnic Rohingya.

U.N. human rights chief Volker Turk said clashes between the military and the Arakan Army, alongside tensions being fuelled between the Rohingya and ethnic Rakhine communities, meant there was a serious risk of a repeat of previous atrocities.

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"The alarm bells are ringing, and we must not allow there to be a repeat of the past," Turk said in a statement.

More than one million Rohingya fled Myanmar's Rakhine state to refugee camps in Bangladesh in 2017 after a military clampdown on the Muslim group in which many were killed.

Thousands still risk their lives each year trying to get away from Myanmar on flimsy boats trying to get to Malaysia or Indonesia.

"Countries with influence on the Myanmar military and armed groups involved must act now to protect all civilians in Rakhine state and prevent another episode of horrendous persecution of the Rohingya," Turk said.