Bloody fighting between Myanmar's army and a separatist movement is proving an "insurmountable barrier" to the return of the country's displaced Rohingya minority, a UN official warned Tuesday. The mostly Muslim Rohingya have been persecuted in Myanmar for decades, with many escaping the 2017 military clampdown labeled a "genocide" by some countries and now finding themselves unable to return as fighting rages in Rakhine state. "As to the Rohingya, forcibly displaced again from Myanmar more than eight years ago, the escalating conflict in the country presents a seemingly insurmountable barrier to their return," the UN's Special Envoy on Myanmar Julie Bishop said in a speech. "They wish to return home, to Rakhine, to rebuild their lives, and become leaders of their communities with control over their destiny." The human rights and humanitarian situation in Myanmar's Rakhine State has sharply deteriorated since November 2023, deepening the life-threatening conditions faced by the Rohingya living there.