A report by the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar under the United Nations revealed that the military destroyed villages, mosques, and cemeteries of the Muslim Rohingya minority and converted their lands into security sites following the ethnic cleansing in Rakhine State (Arakan) in 2017.

The report published on Monday stated that “Myanmar authorities systematically destroyed Rohingya villages, mosques, cemeteries, and agricultural lands, fully aware of the Rohingya’s land rights and holdings through official records.”

According to the investigation by the independent mechanism, “private companies and individuals linked to them played a direct role by providing machinery and labor to demolish villages and build infrastructure under government contracts.”

The Ministry of Housing also benefited from the demolition of Rohingya villages, leveling the land, and establishing security bases in their place, according to the investigation.

For example, the mechanism revealed that the Myanmar army destroyed homes in the village of “Inn Din” to build a new facility. Reuters reported in 2018 that 10 Rohingya men were killed in that village.

The mechanism explained that the investigation is based on direct witness testimonies, satellite images, videos, official records, and documents.

The report comes one day before a high-level United Nations meeting in New York to discuss the Rohingya crisis. Officials are set to discuss deteriorating conditions in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh and the stalled efforts to repatriate them.

Currently, about 1.3 million Rohingya refugees live in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh following the military operation launched by the Myanmar army in the summer of 2017, which the United Nations confirmed as a “clear example of ethnic cleansing.”

The Rohingya continue to face renewed threats of violence and displacement amid ongoing fighting in Rakhine State, where some members of the minority carry arms.