"Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic minority group, are fleeing persecution in Myanmar?s western Rakhine State, fueling a historic migration crisis...Discriminatory policies of Myanmar?s government since the late 1970s have compelled hundreds of thousands of Muslim Rohingya to flee their homes in the predominantly Buddhist country. Most have crossed by land into Bangladesh, while others have taken to the sea to reach Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. Renewed violence, including reported rape, murder, and arson in 2017, triggered a massive exodus of Rohingya amid charges of ethnic cleansing against Myanmar?s security forces. Those forces claim to be carrying out a campaign to reinstate stability in the western region of Myanmar..." Backgrounder by Eleanor Albert