Rohingya insurgents have been fighting local government forces and other insurgent groups in northern Rakhine State since 1948 , with ongoing religious violence between the predominantly Muslim Rohingyas and Buddhist Rakhines fueling the conflict . The legal and political rights of the Rohingya people have been an underlying issue in the conflict , with spontaneous bouts of violence such as the 2012 Rakhine State riots and 2013 Myanmar anti-Muslim riots periodically occurring as a result . Despite making up a majority of the population in the three northern townships of Rakhine State , Rohingyas are often targets of religiously motivated attacks . Because the government does not recognise the Rohingya people as an official ethnic group in Myanmar , Rohingyas can not apply for citizenship and few laws exist to protect their rights
2012 Rakhine State riots
2012 Rakhine State riots
Internal conflict in Myanmar