Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh’s overcrowded camps have protested against dire conditions as they mark nine years since a military crackdown drove them out of neighbouring Myanmar.
The more than 1.2 million Rohingya refugees living in about 30 camps forming the world’s largest refugee settlement in Cox’s Bazar in southeastern Bangladesh are also demanding safe return to their homes in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
The demonstrators urged the international community on Tuesday to guarantee security in Rakhine as they marked what they called the “ninth anniversary of Rohingya Genocide Day”.
The United Council of Rohingya (UCR) refugee group said it organised the rally to “remember the atrocities committed” and highlight the “ongoing humanitarian crisis”.
Most of the refugees crossed the border in a mass exodus in 2017 after Buddhist-majority Myanmar launched a military crackdown in Rakhine following an attack by an armed group.
The Bangladeshi government has previously tried to begin repatriation at least twice, but the efforts stalled as none of the refugees was willing to return, citing security concerns in Myanmar. Dhaka says it will not force anyone to go back.
This month, Myanmar’s military government said more than 300,000 people living in camps in Bangladesh are former residents of Rakhine state and it will accept their return once security conditions improve.
But Bangladesh has disputed Myanmar’s figures and its continued refusal to use the term “Rohingya”, noting that the military government’s labelling of them as “Bengali” is seen as an attempt to deny their identity and right to return to Rakhine.
The United Nations says the military crackdown was carried out with "genocidal intent". The United States has called it a genocide, and The Gambia has brought a genocide case against Myanmar before the International Court of Justice.
Conditions in the refugee camps, where more than half the residents are children, have deteriorated due to funding cuts and reduced food rations, aid agencies say.
One in three refugees is expected to face "crisis" levels of hunger or worse between September and December, according to the charity Save the Children.
Bangladesh's government has previously tried to begin repatriation at least twice, but the efforts have stalled because none of the refugees was willing to return to Myanmar, citing security concerns.
The United Council of Rohingya says it organised the rally to "remember the atrocities committed".
