The security operation targeting Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar “seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing, the United Nations human rights chief has said.
Zeid Raad Al Hussein urged Myanmar to end the “cruel military operation” in Rakhine State.
More than 300,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh since violence erupted there late last month, the BBC reports.
The military said it is responding to attacks by Rohingya militants and denied it is targeting civilians.
The violence began on August 25 when the Rohingya militants attacked police posts in northern Rakhine, killing 12 security personnel.
Rohingyas, who have fled Myanmar since then, said the military responded with a brutal campaign, burning villages and attacking civilians in a bid to drive them out.
Mr. Zeid, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said the current operation in Rakhine was “clearly disproportionate.”
“We have received multiple reports and satellite imagery of security forces and local militia burning Rohingya villages, and consistent accounts of extrajudicial killings, including shooting of fleeing civilians.
“I call on the government to end its current cruel military operation, with accountability for all violations that have occurred and to reverse the pattern of severe and widespread discrimination against the Rohingya population,” he said.
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