Myanmar army accused of raping Rohingya women

Dozens of women have been raped and sexually assaulted by Myanmar soldiers, Rohingya Muslims are saying.

The allegations come from eight Rohingya women who have gone on record with Reuters describing how soldiers last week raided their homes, looted property and raped them at gun point.

"They took me inside the house. They tore my clothes and they took my head scarf off," a 40 year old mother of seven told Reuters in an interview outside her home.

"Two men held me, one holding each arm, and another one held me by my hair from the back and they raped me."

A 30-year-old woman described being knocked off her feet by soldiers and repeatedly raped.

"They told me, 'We will kill you. We will not allow you to live in this country,'" she said.

The allegations have been denied by the president's spokesperson in an interview with Reuters.

Soldiers entered the U Shey Kya village in Rakhine state looking for Al-Yakin Mujahidin, an insurgent group of Rohingyas who are believed by the government to have links to terrorist groups overseas.

Al-Yakin Mujahidin is recently believed to have launched coordinated attacks on numerous border guard posts.

The government denies the accusations against the soldiers and blames the attacks on Al-Yakin Mujahidin.

The residents said that 150 soldiers entered their village. Most male residents left as they believed they would be mistaken for insurgents.

"We can't move to another village to find medical care," said a 32-year-old survivor.

"I don't have clothes now or food to eat. It was all destroyed. I'm feeling ashamed and scared."

Tensions are high between the government and Rohingya Muslims as the state is accused of not doing enough to ensure that 1.1 million Rohingyas are given citizenship.