Rohingya insurgent group declares ceasefire

After more than two weeks of violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state, the insurgent group Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, or ARSA, declared in a statement Saturday a "temporary cessation of offensive military operations" for a one-month period to enable aid groups to respond to the "humanitarian crisis" that is currently unfolding in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

Yanghee Lee, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights for Myanmar, said Friday that at least 1,000 people had been killed in the violence over the past two weeks, though she said that figure is "very likely an underestimate."

The US Department of State said Saturday it is "very concerned" about the violence unfolding in the region, but stopped short of criticizing the country's government or its de facto leader, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

"I am ... breaking my vow of silence on public affairs out of profound sadness about the plight of the Muslim minority in your country, the Rohingya," he wrote in an open letter, posted on his official Twitter.

UCJ, UNILORIN.