Current:Home > ContactRohingya refugees mark the anniversary of their exodus and demand a safe return to Myanmar -Intelligent Capital Compass
Rohingya refugees mark the anniversary of their exodus and demand a safe return to Myanmar
View
Date:2025-04-18 05:20:08
COX’S BAZAR, Bangladesh (AP) — Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar who live in sprawling camps in Bangladesh on Sunday marked the seventh anniversary of their mass exodus, demanding safe return to Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
The refugees gathered in an open field at Kutupalong camp in Cox’s Bazar district carrying banners and festoons reading “Hope is Home” and “We Rohingya are the citizens of Myanmar,” defying the rain on a day that is marked as “Rohingya Genocide Day.”
On Aug. 25, 2017, hundreds of thousands of refugees started crossing the border to Bangladesh on foot and by boats amid indiscriminate killings and other violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
Myanmar had launched a brutal crackdown following attacks by an insurgent group on guard posts. The scale, organization and ferocity of the operation led to accusations from the international community, including the U.N., of ethnic cleansing and genocide.
Then-Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ordered border guards to open the border, eventually allowing more than 700,000 refugees to take shelter in the Muslim-majority nation. The influx was in addition to the more than 300,000 refugees who had already been living in Bangladesh for decades in the wake of waves of previous violence perpetrated by Myanmar’s military.
Since 2017, Bangladesh has attempted at least twice to send the refugees back and has urged the international community to build pressure on Myanmar for a peaceful environment inside Myanmar that could help start the repatriation. Hasina also sought help from China to mediate.
But in the recent past, the situation in Rakhine state has become more volatile after a group called Arakan Army started fighting against Myanmar’s security forces. The renewed chaos forced more refugees to flee toward Bangladesh and elsewhere in a desperate move to save their lives. Hundreds of Myanmar soldiers and border guards also took shelter inside Bangladesh to flee the violence, but Bangladesh later handed them over to Myanmar peacefully.
As the protests took place in camps in Bangladesh on Sunday, the United Nations and other rights groups expressed their concern over the ongoing chaos in Myanmar.
Rohingya refugees gather in the rain to demand safe return to Myanmar’s Rakhine state as they mark the seventh anniversary of their mass exodus at their refugee camp at Kutupalong in Cox’s Bazar district, Bangladesh, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/ Shafiqur Rahman)
Washington-based Refugees International in a statement on Sunday described the scenario.
“In Rakhine state, increased fighting between Myanmar’s military junta and the AA (Arakan Army) over the past year has both caught Rohingya in the middle and seen them targeted. The AA has advanced and burned homes in Buthidaung, Maungdaw, and other towns, recently using drones to bomb villages,” it said.
“The junta has forcibly recruited Rohingya and bombed villages in retaliation. Tens of thousands of Rohingya have been newly displaced, including several who have tried to flee into Bangladesh,” it said.
UNICEF said that the agency received alarming reports that civilians, particularly children and families, were being targeted or caught in the crossfire, resulting in deaths and severe injuries, making humanitarian access in Rakhine extremely challenging.
___
Alam reported from Dhaka.
veryGood! (527)
Related
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Mississippi governor’s brother suggested that auditor praise Brett Favre during welfare scandal
- 10 years and 1,000 miles later, Bob the cat is finally on his way back home
- You Can Bet on These Shirtless Photos of Zac Efron Heating Up Your Timeline
- The 401(k) millionaires club keeps growing. We'll tell you how to join.
- College tuition insurance: What it is and how to get it
- ACC adding Stanford, Cal, SMU feels like a new low in college sports
- Justice Department sues utility company over 2020 Bobcat Fire
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- Pakistani traders strike countrywide against high inflation and utility bills
Ranking
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- Watch Virginia eaglet that fell 90 feet from nest get released back into wild
- Shooting in Massachusetts city leaves 1 dead, 6 others injured
- Why Wisconsin Republicans are talking about impeaching a new state Supreme Court justice
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- Students transform their drab dorm rooms into comfy living spaces
- Derek Jeter and Wife Hannah Jeter Reveal How They Keep Their Romance on Base as Parents of 4
- Is this the last season of normal college football? | USA TODAY 5 Things podcast
Recommendation
McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
India's moon rover finds sulfur, other elements in search for water near lunar south pole
They Lived Together? Celebrity Roommate Pairings That’ll Surprise You
Nebraska man pulled over for having giant bull named Howdy Doody riding shotgun in his car
Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
White teen charged with attempted murder after allegedly trying to drown Black youth
Entrance to Burning Man in Nevada closed due to flooding. Festivalgoers urged to shelter in place
'Channel your anger': Shooting survivors offer advice after Jacksonville attack