( CNN ) -- Sectarian violence has sparked a `` serious '' human rights situation in western Myanmar , a U.N. envoy said . Tomas Quintana , the U.N. 's human rights rapporteur for Myanmar , called for an independent investigation into allegations that authorities are using excessive force and committing other human rights violations while trying to restore order in Rakhine state . `` While I am in no position to be able to verify these allegations at this point in time , they are of grave concern , '' Quintana said Saturday after completing a six-day visit to the country that included a trip to the western state , where a surge in sectarian violence between Buddhists and Muslims in recent months has left dozens dead and displaced thousands . Rakhine is home to the Rohingya , an ethnic Muslim minority who say they have been persecuted the Myanmar military during its decades of authoritarian rule . On Saturday , Quintana said an investigation in Rakhine is important to guarantee accountability . `` Reconciliation will not be possible without this , and exaggerations and distortions will fill the vacuum to further fuel distrust and tensions between communities , '' he said . Quintana also called for the release of six United Nations staff members in prison who were detained `` in connection with events '' in the state . `` I am of the view that the charges against them are unfounded and that their due process rights have been denied , '' he said . Their detention comes at a time that Myanmar has released hundreds of political prisoners , including opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi , and instituted a series of political reforms after decades of repressive military rule . Western governments have responded to the efforts by easing sanctions on the country . Violence between Buddhists and Muslims erupted in Rakhine in June , after police detained three Muslim men in relation to the rape and killing of a Buddhist woman . Two of the men were sentenced to death , the government-run newspaper New Light of Myanmar reported on its website . A third man hanged himself while in detention on June 9 . News of the crime appears to have motivated several hundred people to attack a bus in Rakhine in early June , killing 10 Muslims who were on board . Violence between Buddhists and Muslims then spread across the northern part of the state , resulting in the destruction of thousands of homes and the deaths of about 50 people , according to the government . The national government declared a state of emergency in Rakhine , bringing in the military to help restore order . The unrest has tested the efforts of President Thein Sein 's administration to seek reconciliation with Myanmar 's different ethnic groups and move the country toward more democratic governance . CNN 's Jethro Mullen contributed to this report .
A UN envoy calls for an independent investigation into allegations of violence . The alleged ` ` are of grave import , '' Tomas ##i says . Sectarian violence has surged in the western state of Guerrero .