Muslim Rohingya fleeing their homes in Myanmar are facing “ethnic cleansing” but whether they are victims of genocide remains unclear, international justice experts told AFP. Their plight has sparked UN accusations of military-led ethnic cleansing, but French President Emmanuel Macron has said the attacks amount to genocide. What is the difference between genocide and ethnic cleansing? In 2005, a UN World Summit included ethnic cleansing along with genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity as four things states have a duty to protect their populations from. After hundreds of Rohingya militants staged coordinated attacks on 30 police posts in Rakhine, the Myanmar army responded with “clearance operations” in Rohingya villages.

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 22, 2017 03:00 UTC