Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees rallied across camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, on Tuesday, demanding a safe, dignified return to Myanmar nine years after the military crackdown that drove a mass exodus from Rakhine state. Associated Press reported that gatherings took place among communities living in dozens of camps, while organisers called for citizenship, security, justice and freedom of movement before any repatriation begins.
The anniversary marks the flight of more than 700,000 Rohingya after Myanmar's security forces launched operations in August 2017 following attacks by a Rohingya insurgent group. Survivors described killings, sexual violence and the destruction of villages. Myanmar has maintained that the campaign was a counterterrorism operation, while United Nations officials and other governments have described the violence as ethnic cleansing or genocide.
Bangladesh now hosts close to 1.2 million Rohingya, most in the crowded settlements of Ukhiya and Teknaf in the Cox's Bazar district, according to figures cited by regional and international reports. More than three quarters of the refugee population are women and children. Two previous attempts to start repatriation failed because refugees said conditions in Rakhine were not safe and their rights were not guaranteed; Bangladesh says returns will not be forced.
The prospect of return has become more complicated since Myanmar's 2021 military coup and the expansion of civil war. The Arakan Army has captured much of Rakhine while fighting government forces, and renewed violence has displaced additional Rohingya. Refugee representatives said any credible plan must allow families to return to their original communities with citizenship, protection, basic rights and accountability for abuses.
Conditions in Bangladesh are also deteriorating as donor support falls. Al Jazeera reported that the recalibrated 2026 humanitarian appeal was reduced by 26 percent to $710.5 million and focused on the most urgent life-saving needs. Aid reductions have strained food, education and protection services, while dangerous journeys across the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea have continued as refugees search for security and opportunity.
International legal and diplomatic efforts remain unresolved. The International Court of Justice held hearings in January in the case brought by The Gambia accusing Myanmar of violating the Genocide Convention, but no final ruling has been issued. Sixteen diplomatic missions in Dhaka called this week for the Rohingya's right to return, and the demonstrators urged governments to turn those statements into enforceable security and rights guarantees before the crisis enters a second decade.
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