New evidence has emerged of genocide in Myanmar, with images emerging showing five mass graves of Rohingya Muslims and the aftermath of the attack.
Refugees who escaped have described fleeing mass murder, rape and the burning down of entire villages in what the UN described as a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing", which the government claims never happened.
More than 620,000 Rohingya men, women and children are thought to have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh following persecution from the Burmese military in their native state of Rakhine.
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In December, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) reported at least 6700 people had died in 2017 in violence attributed to attacks against the Rohingya, an estimated 730 of who were children younger than the age of five.
The violence in Myanmar began on August 25, when Myanmar's military, police and local militias launched the operation to clear Rohingya in Rakhine state, in response to attacks by insurgent group the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army.
The Associated Press spoke to survivors in refugee camps in Bangladesh and also saw time-stamped videos on mobile phones of the alleged mass graves in Gu Dar Pyin.
The UN said reports such as that from Gu Dar Pyin must be investigated, adding a fact-finding mission and access to Rakhine state for the world's media must be allowed.
Meanwhile, Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said the reports on Gu Dar Pyin "raise the stakes for the international community to demand accountability from Myanmar".
"It's time for the EU and the US to get serious about identifying and levelling targeted sanctions against the Burmese military commanders and soldiers responsible for these rights crimes, and for the UN to lead the charge for a global arms embargo, and an end of training and engagement for the Tatmadaw," he said, using the local name for Myanmar's military.
ITV / Newshub.
