Rohingya rally calls for international support to end genocide and ensure safe repatriation
"Despite seven years in exile, we still face uncertainty and danger if we return home. We need international pressure to create a safe environment in Myanmar," said a Rohingya community leader during a rally at the Kutupalong camp.
On the 7th anniversary of the Rohingya crisis (25 August), refugees in Cox's Bazar camps demanded international cooperation to end ongoing genocide and persecution in Myanmar.
Thousands of Rohingyas participated in rallies and prayer gatherings across various camps, calling for safe repatriation to their homeland.
"We are citizens of Myanmar by birth. We fled to Bangladesh to escape genocide and ethnic cleansing. This is refugee life, which we do not want. We want to return to our homeland, Myanmar. But persecution continues there, making our return uncertain and unsafe," said the rohingyas.
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"Despite seven years in exile, we still face uncertainty and danger if we return home. We need international pressure to create a safe environment in Myanmar," said a Rohingya community leader during a rally at the Kutupalong camp.
The rallies marked 25 August as Genocide Day, with participants displaying banners and chanting slogans demanding justice. Most participants wore white clothing with various slogans and demands written on them.
Over 33 camps held simultaneous gatherings, with the largest crowd gathering in Kutupalong, where over 100,000 Rohingyas attended despite heavy rain.
Rohingya leaders highlighted the ongoing atrocities in Myanmar, including recent violence by the Arakan Army.
"We fled genocide in 2017, and now we face another wave of attacks. We urge the world to act," one leader said.
"On 25 August 2017, over 750,000 Rohingyas were expelled from the country due to genocide. At that time, there were another 650,000 Rohingyas in Myanmar. But now, the junta government and the Arakan Army are again forcing the Rohingyas out of the country under the pretext of war. There is strong evidence of this. Rohingyas are now being killed in bomb and drone attacks," said another rohingya leader.
"We no longer want to be a burden on Bangladesh. We will return to Myanmar under a safe zone established through R2P. However, we thank the government and people of Bangladesh for providing us with shelter," he added.
Authorities in Bangladesh ensured the events remained peaceful.
"The gatherings ended without incident. We are monitoring the situation closely," said APBN Captain Mohammad Iqbal.
