Myanmar Erases 55 Rohingya Muslim Villages to Cover Up Crimes against Humanity

Authorities in Myanmar have bulldozed at least 55 Rohingya villages in northern Rakhine, in an attempt to eradicate evidence that the army committed crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Friday.

Authorities in Myanmar have bulldozed at least 55 Rohingya villages in northern Rakhine, in an attempt to eradicate evidence that the army committed crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Friday.

The human rights group said that satellite images revealed the extent of the destruction, showing that at least 55 villages formerly inhabited by Rohingya Muslims have been flattened to the ground since November. 

Authorities used heavy machinery to clear out all structures and vegetation in the villages, the images showed. 

Rakhine state has been almost completely emptied of its Rohingya population since the military crackdown started in August, with an estimated 700,000 people having fled across the border to Bangladesh. 

The UN has described Myanmar’s persecution of Rohingya Muslims as a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing.” 

Earlier this month, five mass graves with dozens of corpses were unearthed in the village of Gu Dar Pyin, where authorities have been accused of ordering soldiers to gang-rape the Rohingya before burning them to death.