September 8th, 2017 
(UK INDEPENDENT) — Rohingya villages are being burned to the ground in Burma’s Rakhine state, eyewitnesses have said.
BBC journalists reported seeing buildings ablaze in a village near the town of Mungdaw, including homes and a religious school.
The fires had allegedly been lit by a group of Rohingya Buddhists.
A group of men carrying weapons were spotted leaving the village, one of whom admitted he had lit the fires with help from the police, the BBC reported.
The government claims members of the persecuted minority have been destroying their own homes, which has been disputed by Rohingya who have fled the country into neighboring Bangladesh.
Rohingya refugees say the Burmese military and Rohingya Buddhists are setting their villages alight to drive them out, after attacks by Rohingya Muslim militants on police posts.
In August, Rohingya Muslim insurgents attacked several police posts and an army base, which led to a military crackdown that has resulted in the deaths of at least 400 people and forced tens of thousands to flee.