Activists urge U.N. intervention over Myanmar army offensives

FILE PHOTO: Myanmar citizens living in India hold a candle vigil, organised by Chin Refugee Committee, to pay tribute to people who died in Myanmar after the military coup, in New Delhi, India, March 24, 2021. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

(Reuters) - More than 500 civil rights groups have called for a United Nations Security Council meeting to stop escalating violence in Myanmar's Chin state, a volatile border region that has become a forefront of resistance against military rule.

Local media, witnesses and the U.N. have reported a buildup of heavy weapons and troops in Chin, suggesting an imminent army attack to flush out militia groups formed after a Feb. 1 coup.