U.S. says Myanmar persecutes Rohingya, but not genocide

The U.S. State Department said on Monday it had determined that Myanmar is persecuting its Rohingya Muslims, but the government's treatment of the religious minority group does not constitute genocide.

"While it's without question that they continue to face persecution, we did not determine that it was on the level of genocide," State Department spokesman John Kirby told reporters.

In a report to Congress seen by Reuters, the State Department said the U.S. government is "gravely concerned" about abuses against the Rohingya, but did not determine that they constitute mass atrocities.

Tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled poverty and persecution in western Myanmar since religious violence erupted there in 2012, prompting international calls for investigation into what some called "strong evidence" of genocide. (Courtesy of Reuters)