The UN adviser on preventing genocide says all information he has received indicates the Myanmar government intended to cleanse Rohingya Muslims from Rakhine state and possibly even destroy them "which, if proven, would constitute the crime of genocide."

Adama Dieng recently visited Bangladesh to assess the situation of the Rohingyas and said Tuesday that what he heard and witnessed "is a human tragedy with the fingerprints of the Myanmar government and of the international community."

He said "the scorched earth campaign carried out by the Myanmar security forces since August 2017 against the Rohingya population was predictable and preventable."

Despite his numerous warnings of the risk of "atrocity crimes," Dieng said the international community "buried its head in the sand" which has cost Rohingyas their lives, homes and dignity.