SUMMARY

Fighting between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar's Rakhine State is first captured in the UCDPs conflict data in 2001, however, the conflict has its roots in the complex ethnic demography, regional political dynamics including aspirations for autonomy and the biased government policies toward the different ethnic groups in the region.

In June 2012, reports began to circulate that several Muslim men had raped a Buddhist woman and clashes erupted in Rakhine State between groups of Buddhists and Muslims. The major bouts of fighting took place in June 2012. Fighting between the lightly armed groups continued and other major clashes also took place in August and October of 2012. Both groups used light weapons such as swords and spears to attack each other and civilians were frequently caught in the fighting. The fighting resulted in large-scale property damage as well as massive population displacement as tens of thousands of people, mostly Rohingya Muslims, fled the fighting and their homes.

The non-state conflict between Buddhists (Myanmar) and Muslims (Myanmar) in Myanmar is first included in UCDP data in 2001. In February of that year, fighting between the two groups had resulted in more than 25 battle-related deaths.