Recent conflict in Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine has caused the deaths of over 100 people, officials announced Friday.
The government has warned that the clashes between Muslims and Buddhists in the state risk damaging the country’s reputation as it seeks to install democracy.
Rakhine state spokesman Win Myaing told AP that 112 people had been killed in clashes that began Sunday between members of the Buddhist Rakhine and the Muslim Rohingya communities. The number of injured was put at 72, including 10 children and an earlier announcement said that almost 2,000 homes had been burned down in the conflict.
The dispute has its roots in a disagreement over the Muslim residents’ origin. Many Rohingya have lived in Myanmar for generations and are widely considered ‘intruders’ from Bangladesh. In June, ethnic violence in the state left at least 90 people dead and destroyed more than 3,000 homes. About 75,000 have been living in refugee camps ever since.
