Burmese security forces are committing fresh human rights violations that may amount to new allegations of war crimes, a United Nations investigator said on Tuesday.

These claims surfaced with the deployment of thousands of Burmese troops fighting ethnic rebels in Rakhine and Chin, the conflict-ridden Western states of the country.

After a 2017 military crackdown, 730,000 Rohingya Muslims fled from Western Burma, and sought refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh.

The new military escalations have caused 35,000 people to flee their homes and left 100,000 civilians without access to basic services.

UN investigators described these Burmese army operations as having a “genocidal intent” and condemned the use of mass killings, gang rapes, and widespread arson.