Thousands of Rohingya refugees gathered in Cox’s Bazar to remember those killed in 2017 and renew demands for a safe, voluntary and dignified return to their homeland with citizenship, rights and security.
by Hafizur Rahman
Cox’s Bazar, 25 August 2026: Thousands of Rohingya refugees gathered at the football field in Camp 4 Extension in Ukhiya on Tuesday to mark the ninth Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day and demand a safe, voluntary and dignified return to their homeland in Arakan.
The rally was organised by the United Council of Rohingya (UCR) under the theme “Nine Years Gone, Think Ten Minutes for Rohingya.”
Rohingya men, women, children, youth and community leaders from different camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf joined the gathering to remember those killed during the 2017 genocide and to speak about the continued suffering of a people still living in displacement nine years later.
Participants said remembrance was not only about mourning the dead, but also about reaffirming the Rohingya community’s demand for justice, accountability and a future in their homeland.
Speakers said Rohingya want to return to Myanmar, but only under conditions that guarantee safety, citizenship, rights, freedom of movement and the possibility of rebuilding their lives with dignity.
Rohingya rights activist Mohammad Rafiq said the community wanted the world to listen to its long-standing demand for return.
Mohammad Syed Ullah, a member of the UCR Presidential Panel, said repatriation should not be reduced to simply crossing the border.
He said Rohingya must be able to return with security, rights, citizenship, freedom of movement and opportunities for sustainable livelihoods.
Speaking in Burmese, UCR leader Master Shoaib also called on the international community to help create conditions in Myanmar where Rohingya could return without fear or uncertainty.
Throughout the rally, participants raised slogans in the Rohingya language, including “Shesh hota ekkan firat chai Arakan,” meaning, “Our final words are one: we want to return to Arakan.”
The event reflected a core Rohingya demand that has remained unchanged over nine years of exile: return is not meaningful unless it restores a people’s place, identity and rights in their homeland.
The Office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner said permission had been granted for the gathering, while members of the Armed Police Battalion were deployed in surrounding camp areas.
Rohingya leaders at the rally said the international community should move beyond symbolic concern and act to ensure accountability for the crimes committed against Rohingya and to help create the conditions necessary for a safe and sustainable return.
Nine years after the mass displacement of 2017, they said, Rohingya are still waiting not only for justice, but for a return in which they can live as Rohingya with full rights and security in their own homeland.
