UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — Displacement of the Rohingya people in Myanmar can be described as ethnic cleansing, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said at a press briefing on Wednesday.
"When one-third of the Rohingya population had to flee the country, can you find a better word to describe it?" Guterres told journalists when asked if he considers the recent developments in Myanmar to be ethnic cleansing.
The crisis around the Rohingya Muslims escalated in late August when insurgents of Rohingya origin attacked security posts in the Myanmari state of Rakhine. The attacks prompted a violent response by Myanmar's authorities, resulting in clashes and the death of hundreds of people while forcing thousands of others to flee to Bangladesh.
