Tens of Thousands of Rohingya Refugees Rally in Bangladesh Camps Demanding Safe Return to Myanmar

COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh — Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees living in camps across southeastern Bangladesh rallied on Tuesday, demanding their safe return to their ancestral homeland in Myanmar nearly nine years after fleeing a brutal military crackdown.

The demonstrators used the occasion—what they call the “Ninth Anniversary of Rohingya Genocide Day”—to urgently call upon the international community to guarantee security in Rakhine State as a prerequisite for their return.

Today, more than one million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar’s persecuted ethnic and religious minority reside in the sprawling, densely populated camps surrounding the Cox’s Bazar district in southeastern Bangladesh.

The vast majority of this population fled across the border in a massive, chaotic exodus in 2017, following a severe military crackdown in Rakhine State launched by Buddhist-majority Myanmar after attacks by a Rohingya insurgent group.

The Bangladesh government has previously attempted to initiate repatriation at least twice, but both efforts failed as no refugees were willing to return, citing extreme security concerns. Dhaka has consistently stated that it will not force anyone to return against their will.

In a parallel diplomatic push on Tuesday, the missions of 15 countries and the European Union in Bangladesh issued a joint appeal calling for sustained international support for the Rohingya refugee population.

In their joint statement, the diplomatic missions noted that nearly 1.2 million Rohingya refugees remain in Bangladesh, praising the country and its people for hosting them for nearly a decade. The statement was co-signed by Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

The missions expressed deep concern over the rapidly escalating conflict in Rakhine State, warning that growing humanitarian needs, airstrikes on civilian infrastructure, and severe restrictions on humanitarian aid and trade are worsening the crisis and driving further displacement into Bangladesh and across the region.

They concluded that current conditions in Rakhine do not currently “allow for voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable repatriation.”

“Rohingya refugees have a right to return to their homes in Myanmar,” the group stated. “Regrettably, conflict is escalating across Rakhine, and humanitarian needs are rising rapidly.”

In January, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) held hearings in a landmark case accusing Myanmar of genocide against the Rohingya in Rakhine State in 2017. Over three weeks of proceedings, the court reviewed extensive documentary evidence, expert testimony, and private witness statements detailing mass killings, systematic sexual violence, and the widespread destruction of villages.

The scale, organization, and sheer ferocity of the military operation led to widespread accusations of ethnic cleansing and genocide from the international community, including the United Nations.

Myanmar, however, has denied these allegations, telling the court that its military campaign was a legitimate counter-terrorism operation and did not constitute genocide.

Following the 2017 crackdown, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims fled from Rakhine into neighboring Bangladesh on foot and by boat amidst intense shelling, indiscriminate killings, and other severe violence. Meanwhile, Rakhine State has seen heavy fighting, with the insurgent Arakan Army capturing significant territory while clashing with Myanmar government forces.

The Bangladesh government kept its borders open, eventually sheltering more than 700,000 new refugees in the Muslim-majority nation. This recent influx was in addition to more than 300,000 Rohingya who had already sought refuge in Bangladesh for decades following previous waves of violence perpetrated by Myanmar’s military.

In recent years, the security situation in Rakhine State has become increasingly volatile.

“Whether it is the Arakan Army or the Myanmar military, as long as they continue playing this double game, the situation in Arakan [Rakhine] will never become safe. Does that mean we are expected to remain here for another fifty years?” said Sayed Ullah, a Rohingya refugee leader, during Tuesday’s rally. Arakan is the historical name for Rakhine.

“We cannot stay here for fifty years. Given the current situation in Arakan, we must determine how an environment conducive to peace can be created,” he added.

Earlier this month, Myanmar’s military-backed government stated that more than 300,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are former residents of Rakhine State and expressed willingness to accept their return once security conditions improve.

However, Bangladesh has disputed Myanmar’s statistics and its persistent refusal to use the term “Rohingya,” noting that labeling refugees as “Bengali” is a deliberate attempt to deny their ethnic identity.

Source link