Authorities in Myanmar's western Rakhine state have introduced a two-child limit for Muslim Rohingya families in an effort to ease tensions with their Buddhist neighbors after deadly sectarian violence.

A local official said Saturday that the new measure would be applied to two townships that border Bangladesh and have the highest Muslim population in Rakhine.

State spokesman Win Myaing said the measure was enacted a week ago after a government-appointed commission recommended family planning programs to help ease tensions in the volatile region.

Sectarian violence in Myanmar first flared nearly a year ago in Rakhine between the region's Rakhine Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya. Mobs of Buddhists armed with machetes razed thousands of Muslim homes, leaving hundreds dead and forcing 125,000 people to flee, mostly Muslims.