JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia – The head of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday (August 5th) proposed sending a mission to probe the killings of Rohingya Muslims in Buddhist-majority Burma, according to AFP.

The OIC will try to persuade the government in Rangoon to accept a fact-finding mission, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu told an executive committee meeting of the world's largest Muslim grouping, which is based in the Saudi city of Jeddah.

"The OIC has directed its offices at the United Nations in New York to urge the Council to look into the suffering of the Rohingya minority," he said, quoted in a statement issued by the 57-member organisation.

Violence that erupted in June in Rakhine state between Buddhists and Rohingya left about 80 people dead from both sides, official figures showed.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said that figure appeared "grossly underestimated," however, and accused security forces of opening fire on Muslims and committing rape.

Members of both the Muslim and Buddhist communities committed horrific acts of violence with reports of beheadings, stabbings, shootings and widespread arson in Rakhine, the report added.