Myanmar, Bangladesh set up working group for Rohingya return

On December 23, 2017, the government of Myanmar continued to deny that human rights violations were occurring in the country, particularly within Rakhine State. The region had been subject to a military crackdown on Muslim Rohingya following militant attacks on an army base and police posts on August 25.

The United Nations described the Rohingya as the most persecuted community in the world. According to reports at the time, the UN characterized the situation in Rakhine State as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.

In response to the accusations, the Myanmar military had previously issued a report denying all allegations of rape and killings by its security forces.