More than 2,000 homes have been burned in Myanmar since Sunday.

The clashes began on Sunday and have also resulted in the burning of more than 2,000 homes.

Violence continues in the state of Rakhine, where overnight curfews have been in effect since previous outbreaks of violence. Turmoil began in May, when a Buddhist woman was raped and murdered by three Muslim men.

A mob later killed 10 Muslims in retaliation, although they were unconnected to the event. 

Rakhine is home to the Rohingya, a group of stateless Muslim minorities who have been persecuted by the Myanmar military after its decade- long authoritarian rule. 

In June, about 90 people-- mostly Rohinya-- were killed in clashes spread throughout Rakhine.

Myanmar does not recognize the Rohinya as citizens.

The ethnic crises dates back decades and is rooted in a dispute over where the Rohinya came from. Many have lived in Myanmar for generations, but are seen as foreigners, since many Rohinya speak a distinct Bengali dialect and resemble Muslim Bangladeshis who have darker skin.

It is still unclearwhat initiated the conflict this time around.

Hundreds of Rohingyas have attempted to cross the border into neighboring Bangladesh, but were turned away. Bangladesh has said it has too many Rohingya refugees, estimating about 300,000 already living in the country.

Those displaced by the violence are making their way over to overcrowded refugee camps that are already housing about 75,000 people. 

The United States has called for Myanmar authorities to take immediate action to halt the violence and the United Nations has appealed for calm.

"The U.N. is gravely concerned about reports of a resurgence of inter-communal conflict in several areas in Rakhine State — which has resulted in deaths and has forced thousands of people, including women and children, to flee their homes," U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar Ashok Nigam said in a statement.

"Short term humanitarian support and action towards long term solutions are urgently required to address the root causes of the conflict," Nigam continued.

The ethnic conflicts have already proven to be a major problem for the rule of President Thein Sein, who started democratic reforms after half a century of military rule that ended last year.

The unrest has shown the failure of the government to find any long-term solution to the problem other than separating both communities in violent areas. 

Reach Staff Reporter Joseph here.