UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday criticized the country's military for attacking Myanmar's Rakhine state and killing civilians.

The Arakan Army, an armed group, attacked the junta in Rakhine state last November. This is the first time this minority group has clashed against the army after the army seized power in 2021.

The army launched a campaign against the Arakan Army, which also had an impact on the Bangladesh border. Guterres condemned the operation as many civilians were killed.

His spokeswoman Stephanie Dujarric issued a statement on behalf of Guterres. It said, "Guterres condemned the recent attacks by the country's army in Myanmar, including Rakhine, in which many civilians were killed."

The Arakan Army has said it wants more autonomy in the country's western Rakhine state. This Rakhine province is home to the Rohingyas. Most of them have taken refuge in Bangladesh due to the oppression of the army.

The Arakan Army said the junta killed at least 70 civilians in an attack on the village of Biyen Phyu in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine. The junta, however, dismissed it as 'propaganda'.

Phone and internet services have been cut off in Rakhine So there is no way to confirm the conflict news. Guterres called for an end to the "ongoing slaughter" of Rohingyas caught in the middle of a conflict between the junta and the Arakan Army.

More than 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh in 2017 due to attacks by the Myanmar military Even before that, hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas lived in several camps in Cox's Bazar and Teknaf areas of Bangladesh.

Source: Deutsche Welle