Myanmar conflict: Fake photos inflame tension

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Image captionThis photo is from Bangladesh in 1971 but is being shared on social media to describe Rohingya people in Myanmar as terrorists

A recent surge in violence in the northern part of Myanmar's Rakhine statehas been accompanied by a slew of misleading images being shared on social media.

Photos and video purporting to be from the conflict have been circulated widely.

Much of it is gruesome and inflammatory, and much of it is wrong.

Deep-seated mistrust and rivalry between Rohingya Muslims and the majority Buddhist population in Rakhine have led to deadly communal violence in the past.

The Rohingya have faced decades of persecution in Myanmar where they are denied citizenship.

WARNING: This article contains images some people may find upsetting.

Information is very sketchy and journalists have very limited access to this region.

Even those who have managed to reach the area have found that the volatile situation and intense hostility towards the Rohingyas makes it very difficult to gather information.

Here is what we know about what is happening in Rakhine:

• Last week, after weeks of rising tension, militants from a new group calling itself the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army attacked at least 25 police posts
• Clashes were reported in many other areas, sometimes involving Rohingya villagers joining the militants to fight the security forces
• But in many cases the security forces, sometimes backed by armed Buddhist civilians, burned Rohingya villages and opened fire on their inhabitants, according to reports
• Buddhist communities have also been attacked, and some of their inhabitants killed
• The UN estimates 40,000 Rohingya have crossed the border to Bangladesh, bringing stories of appalling abuses

On 29 August, the Turkish Deputy Prime Minister, Mehmet Simsek, tweeted four photographs, urging the international community to stop the ethnic cleansing of Rohingyas.

His post was retweeted more than 1,600 times, and liked by more than 1,200 readers.

But he was quickly criticised about the authenticity of the photographs.

Three days after his tweet, with many people challenging the images, Mr Simsek deleted it.