By Hafizur Rahman, Camp Crosspendant
Cox’s Bazar, September 28, 2025 — Thousands of Rohingya refugees staged peaceful demonstrations on Saturday, urging the United Nations High-Level Conference on September 30 to guarantee their safe and dignified repatriation under the international principle of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P).
From 9:00 am to 11:00 am, refugees across camps in Cox’s Bazar carried placards, chanted slogans, and voiced demands for justice and protection. They called for an international safe zone in northern Arakan State, warning that returning under the control of either the Myanmar junta or the Arakan Army (AA) would expose them to further persecution.
“Our return must not be under the Myanmar military or the Arakan Army,” said one participant in Kutupalong camp. “We want the UN to create a safe zone in our homeland so that genocide will never happen again.”
Another refugee, Abdul Alam, stressed that any repatriation must be voluntary and guaranteed by the international community. “We have lived in camps for eight years without dignity,” he told Rohingya Khobor. “We want justice for the crimes against us, and we want to go back to our land with full rights and security.”
Five Demands to the UN
At the rally, community leaders outlined five key demands:
- Establishment of a safe zone in northern Arakan State under R2P.
- A clear and enforceable roadmap for repatriation.
- Recognition of Rohingya self-determination.
- International justice for crimes against humanity committed in 2017 and 2024.
- Global support to rebuild villages, schools, and livelihoods in Arakan State.
The protesters accused both the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army of orchestrating campaigns of violence and displacement — the junta in 2017 and the AA in 2024 — describing the latter as a “Nazi force” responsible for ongoing crimes.
A Plea for Urgent Action
Refugees said the upcoming UN General Assembly session will be a defining moment for their future. “The world must act now,” one organizer said. “Our survival, our dignity, and our children’s future depend on the decisions taken in New York.”
Bangladesh currently shelters nearly one million Rohingya refugees who fled waves of violence in Myanmar. With shrinking aid and growing insecurity in the camps, calls for a sustainable political solution have become increasingly urgent.
