The Rohingya people are an ethnic minority that mainly live in the northern region of Rakhine State , Myanmar , and have been described as one of the world 's most persecuted minorities . In modern times , the persecution of Rohingyas in Myanmar dates back to the 1970s . Since then , Rohingya people have regularly been made the target of persecution by the government and nationalist Buddhists . The tension between various religious groups in the country had often been exploited by the past military governments of Myanmar . According to Amnesty International , the Rohingya have suffered from human rights violations under past military dictatorships since 1978 , and many have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh as a result . In 2005 , the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had assisted with the repatriation of Rohingyas from Bangladesh , but allegations of human rights abuses in the refugee camps threatened this effort . In 2015 , 140,000 Rohingyas remained in IDP camps after communal riots in 2012
communal riots in 2012
2012 Rakhine State riots
Gu Dar Pyin massacre