At least 6,700 Rohingya Muslim deaths in a one month period are attributed to violence during a military crackdown in largely Buddhist Myanmar, according to a report by Medecins San Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders).
The group asked refugees in four Rohingya camps in Bangladesh in late October how many of their family members had died and how, CNN reported. It found at least 6,700 Rohingya had died from violence between Aug. 25 and Sept. 24; another 2,700 died of illness or malnutrition.
The government has given a figure of 400 deaths, which MSF claims is vastly underestimated.
More than 500,000 Rohingya fled into Bangladesh since late August, when the crackdown started after Rohingya militants attacked a border post, CNN reported. Both the U.S. and the U.N. described the crackdown as ethnic cleansing through methods like shootings, burning of victims, rapes, and beatings.
Amnesty International disputed a report commissioned by Myanmar’s military that denied widespread murder, rape, and destruction was taking place in the region.
"There is overwhelming evidence that the military has murdered and raped Rohingya and burned their villages to the ground," Amnesty International said, accusing the military of trying to "sweep serious violations against the Rohingya under the carpet," CNN reported.
The reported number of Rohingya deaths is a conservative estimate, MSF said, The Washington Post reported, and included 730 children under age 5.
The Rohingya are not recognized as citizens in Myanmar, and are referred to by the government as Bengali, which suggests they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Journalists and human rights groups have not been allowed to work in Rakhine, the area where the Rohingya live.
Twitter users expressed dismay over the situation.
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