The United Nations said on Monday that it has started withdrawing its staff from Burma’s northwestern Arakan State after the government declared a state of emergency following sectarian clashes between Muslims and Buddhists, reports CNN. Widespread rioting and arson claimed at least eight lives over the weekend. The UN is temporarily relocating its staff for safety reasons, said Ashok Nigam, the organization’s humanitarian coordinator in the former capital Rangoon. The Burmese military has been called in to maintain order and a curfew is in place in certain areas.