Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh demand safe return to Myanmar

Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh - Thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar gathered in the camps surrounding Cox's Bazar on Tuesday to demand their secure return to Rakhine state, nine years after they were forced to flee a government crackdown. The protesters called for the international community to guarantee safety in Rakhine state during what they refer to as the "Ninth Anniversary of Rohingya Genocide Day."

Over 1 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya ethnic and religious minority currently reside in the sprawling camps in Bangladesh's southeastern Cox's Bazar district. In 2017, a mass exodus occurred when Buddhist-majority Myanmar launched a crackdown in Rakhine following an attack by a Rohingya Muslim insurgent group.

The Bangladeshi government had previously attempted to repatriate the refugees twice, but the refugees refused to return due to security concerns. Bangladesh explicitly stated that it would not compel anyone to return to Myanmar. On Tuesday, diplomatic missions from 15 countries and the European Union also arrived in Bangladesh.