CNN —Renewed fears of ethnic cleansing against the stateless Rohingya Muslim community are mounting after reports that hundreds of people, including women and children, were killed by drone strikes while fleeing violence in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state last week. Witnesses and Rohingya activists told CNN that a series of drone strikes on August 5 hit civilians fleeing fighting and violence in their villages in Maungdaw, northern Rakhine. The displaced families had been waiting to cross the river to Bangladesh at the time of the attack, they said. Forced recruitment of Rohingya men and boys is stoking religious tensions between the Rohingya Muslim and Rakhine Buddhist communities, the report said. “Ethnic Rohingya and Rakhine civilians are bearing the brunt of the atrocities that the Myanmar military and opposition Arakan Army are committing,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

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Persons: Rohingya, “, ”, –, …, Orla Murphy, Hasan, Rehman Asad, Mohammad Elias, Elias, ” Elias, Elaine Pearson Organizations: CNN, Arakan Army, AA, Myanmar, United Nations, International Court of Justice, Free Rohingya Coalition, Resource Management, Sans, MSF, “, ” CNN, Bangladesh’s Border Guard Force, Human Rights, Human Rights Watch Locations: Rakhine, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Ma, Maungdaw, Myanmar’s, Muangdaw, Lwin, Rohingya, Cox’s Bazar, Ukhia, Cox's Bazar, “, Buthidaung, Arakan, Asia