In Chinas northwestern Xinjiang region, an area with long-simmering unrest between the ethnic Uighur (pronounced we-gur) minority and the Han Chinese majority, the government has detained more than a million members of this and other Muslim groups in whats been described as a massive internment camp that is shrouded in secrecy.

That was the finding of a United Nations panel earlier this month, which cited credible reports from the region. Chinese U.N. delegate Hu Lianhe dismissed the reports as completely untrue, but he did acknowledge that some Uighurs the government determines to be deceived by religious extremism have been assisted through resettlement and education.

In other words: Theyre being detained and indoctrinated. The only real matter of dispute is just how many of Xinjiangs roughly 10 million Uighurs have been forcibly assisted in this manner.

The internment claims are also supported by other reports from the region. An eye-opening 2017 BuzzFeed News report from Xinjiang described it as a 21st-century police state, aided by sophisticated facial-recognition technology and pervasive video monitoring via street cameras and surveillance drones. The piece also includes photos of walled-off political education compounds adorned with propaganda imploring onlookers to cherish ethnic unity.

And a Wall Street Journal report from that time surfaced what appears to be an official rating form used to determine which Xinjiang residents are in need of resettlement and education. Uighurs are automatically docked 10 points and start at a disadvantage:

What prompted all this? Heres what you need to know about Chinas Uighurs:

Who are they?

Most Uighurs (also spelled Uyghurs or Uighers in Western media) practice Islam and speak a Turkic language thats completely different from Mandarin Chinese.

Uighurs share more ethnic and cultural similarities with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia Chinas northern and western neighbors on the Eurasian Steppe than with the rest of China itself.

We dont have any connection with the Chinese. We dont look Chinese, we dont speak the same language and we dont eat the same food, a Uighur, who asked to be referred to as Billy, told The Telegraph in 2009 . And we are Muslims, we believe in Allah. The Chinese only believe in money.

The Chinese government considers Xinjiang an autonomous region, meaning it has a self-appointed local government. It is not, however, even remotely autonomous, despite the names implication. (Tibet is also an autonomous region).

Xinjiang is also home to a substantial portion of the countrys most valuable natural resources, which at least partially explains Chinas interest. In addition to sizable mineral reserves of iron ore and gold, the region claims about 38 percent of the countrys coal reserves and 25 percent of its petroleum and natural gas, according to government figures .

Whats the history of the dispute?

The two groups have had a strained relationship since the Xinjiang province was established and brought under Chinese control by the Qing dynasty in 1884. Uighurs declared themselves independent under the Republic of East Turkestan in 1933, but the short-lived state was reabsorbed by China in 1934. They tried again in 1944, identifying as the Second East Turkestan Republic, but were once again reabsorbed in 1949 following the Chinese Communist Partys takeover of the country.

Beginning in 1955, when Xinjiang became an autonomous region, the government has encouraged ethnic Hans to migrate west , luring them with the promise of hukou a coveted status that facilitates access to essential social services like housing, pensions, health care and education.

The strategy, billed as an effort to modernize the region by Beijing, has been remarkably effective: In 1949, Xinjiangs Han population comprised just 6 percent of the total. As of the last census in 2010 , Han Chinese constituted at least 40 percent of the population; more recent reports put that figure as high as 58 percent.

In short, the Party is attempting to dilute Uighur culture and identity by encouraging more interethnic mingling and fusion with the majority Han Chinese, James Leibold, a professor at Australias La Trobe University and an expert on ethnic relations in Xinjiang told the University of Southern Californias U.S.-China Institute in 2016.

Rather than unifying through fusion, the government has alienated the Uighurs and built a highly stratified society, making the problem far worse .

Every year, more and more of them come to Xinjiang, a Uighur who asked not to be identified told The Telegraph. That means its harder for us to find a job.

All the work is for the Chinese, anyway. Han-run companies only employ Chinese people and most of the government jobs are for them too. Our lives are getting worse and worse while theirs are getting better.