An uneasy peace has descended on Myanmar's Rakhine state, yet some of the region's biggest problems are just beginning. Authorities have to deal with 90,000 displaced citizens, simmering tensions, and the smoldering ruins of Sittwe's neighborhoods. 

Images of scorched homes and rural villagers brandishing improvised weapons flooded international news outlets last week as fighting in Myanmar's Rakhine state intensified. The current conflict was sparked by the rape and killing of a Buddhist woman last month by three Rohingya Muslim men, but the root causes of this ethnic tension date back decades. Carleton College professor and Burmese exile Tun Myint speaks with LinkAsia about the long history of struggle between ethnic and religious groups, specifically between Buddhists and Muslims, in the country.

The three suspects in the killing that incited the violence have been convicted and sentenced to death. A third suspect who died in jail was convicted posthumously. 

Fighting erupted when a bus carrying ethnic Rohingya Muslims was attacked in response to the original murder, leaving ten dead. Violence then spread to the Rakhine capital, Sittwe, and several other towns and villages. At least 50 people have been killed, and over 30,000 people have been displaced. An "uneasy calm" has now settled on Rakhine state after two weeks of fighting. 

Yet tensions remain high, and the threat of a fresh outbreak of violence still remains. 

As Myanmar continues on the path to reform, this conflict shines light on the unresolved issue of ethnic minority rights.

Many Burmese, however, are coming together to show support for the victims, regardless of ethnicity. In the still-authoritarian atmosphere of Myanmar, social activism of any kind is a dangerous activity. This show of solidarity, then, was for "fire victims" in Rakhine state, alluding to those whose homes were torched in the violence without speaking about it directly. 

Hpyo Wai Tha of Irrawaddy Magazine observes that at the protest, "While Arakanese, Mon and Burmese volunteers were collecting cash donations from the market goers, their Muslim friends were ready with their car keys to transport them to next stop and Buddhists and Christians were singing peace-themed songs to the accompaniment of guitars."

The situation on the ground in Rakhine is considerably less optimistic. Many of the over 30,000 people taking refuge in relief camps are in need of medical treatment, yet the medical NGO Doctors Without Borders has been forced to suspend operations in the region due to the threat of violence.

That threat is all too real, as this Reuters TV report from on the ground in Rakhine state shows. 

LinkAsia will continue to follow the story as it unfolds with updates to this Storify post.