Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees gathered to protest living conditions in Bangladesh's overcrowded refugee camps, urging the international community to increase humanitarian aid to improve their situation.
The United Council of Rohingya said it organized Tuesday's demonstration to "commemorate the crimes committed" and highlight "the ongoing humanitarian crisis" on the ninth anniversary of the Rohingya exodus from Myanmar.
More than 1.2 million Rohingya, many of whom fled a military crackdown in Myanmar starting in 2017, live in about 30 camps in the world's largest refugee settlement in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.
Aid agencies say camp conditions have deteriorated due to reduced funding, restricted food rations, and cut services. Oxfam warned that shrinking humanitarian resources could undo progress made in Cox's Bazar, with essential services under severe strain.
Al Jazeera's Tanvir Chowdhury, reporting from Cox's Bazar, said protesters want the world to pay attention to their demands. "They want justice, they want dignity, and they want to return home safely," he said.
Save the Children projects that one in three Rohingya refugees will face "crisis" levels of hunger or worse between September and December.
Bangladeshi authorities say they are overwhelmed and call for the dignified return of Rohingya to their homeland. Myanmar's 2017 crackdown, which saw Rohingya villages burned and civilians killed, is the subject of a genocide case before the International Court of Justice at The Hague.
In a joint statement, 16 diplomatic missions in Bangladesh, including the European Union, UK, and Canada, said conditions in Myanmar do not permit safe repatriation of refugees.
"Rohingya refugees have the right to return to their homes in Myanmar," the statement read. "Unfortunately, escalating conflict across Rakhine State and growing humanitarian needs continue. Deepening insecurity, airstrikes on civilian infrastructure, and Myanmar authorities' blockade of aid and trade are worsening the humanitarian crisis."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for "renewed global attention and action" for the Rohingya. "The Rohingya in Myanmar, Bangladesh, and across the region face deepening insecurity, shrinking protection space, and fading prospects for sustainable solutions, compounded by funding cuts affecting life-saving aid," his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said in a statement.
