Myanmar President Thein Sein is photoed meeting with Oystein Rafoss at a hydroelectronic power plant. (Creative Commons)

Angry mobs have also torched several mosques in the Rakhine region. The violence comes after a year-and-a-half of increased democratic strides made in the country to diminish the authoritarian rule.

The root of the conflict deals with the institutionalized oppression of Muslims in Myanmar. A 1982 law bars the Rohingya from obtaining citizenship. The government body that oversees Muslim migration has also been accused of human rights abuses. From PolicyMic:

The Rohingya in Rakhine are overseen by the Border Administration Force -- also known as the Nasaka -- which consists of military, police, and customs, and immigration officers. There has been alleged documentation of human rights abuses by the Nasaka on the Rohingya including "rape, forced labor and extortion." They control all aspects of Rohingya mobility in the country.

As of Friday, a state of emergency was issued and the military was given authority to enforce order in Myanmar. The turn towards military power comes after Burma spent the past year-and-a-half making democratic reforms and improving its relations with the west. 

In 2011, Thein Sein was elected as the country’s first president over the newly civilian government. Other measures that acted as a catalyst for a more democratic government were the abolishment of pre-publication censorship and a trip made by President Obama in November 2012, as an act of “friendship” to the country given that more reforms were made.

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