Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh marked the ninth Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day with rallies in camps in Cox’s Bazar on Tuesday, demanding safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable repatriation.

The gatherings, held under the theme “Nine years gone, think ten minutes for Rohingya”, brought together refugees from camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf. Organised by the civil society group United Council of Rohingya (UCR), the main rally took place at a football field in Camp-4 Extension in Ukhiya.

Speakers commemorated those killed in the 2017 violence and addressed the current situation of the Rohingya, the need for justice and accountability, and safe and dignified repatriation.

The loss of relatives, homes and the uncertainty of not being able to return had left Rohingya lives in prolonged crisis, they said.

Rohingya rights activist Mohammed Rafiq said refugees had spent nine years away from their home country. “This is not our country. We want to return to our own country,” he said. Returning to Arakan was the long-standing aspiration of the Rohingya and the international community must consider the issue from a humanitarian perspective, Rafiq added.

Mohammed Syed Ullah, a member of the UCR presidential panel, expressed gratitude to Bangladesh for shelter and humanitarian assistance, but said returning home to live a normal life was the refugees’ main goal.

Repatriation must be safe, voluntary and dignified, he said. Simply sending Rohingya across the border would not complete the process; their security, basic rights, citizenship, freedom of movement and livelihoods had to be guaranteed after return.

UCR leader Master Shoaib, speaking in Burmese, called on the international community to play an effective role in ensuring Rohingya rights and security, and to help create conditions for return without fear or uncertainty.

Participants chanted slogans in Rohingya for ten minutes, including “Our final word is one: we want to return to Arakan.”

Sources at the Office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) said permission had been given for the rally, as in previous years. Armed Police Battalion personnel were deployed to maintain law and order in the camp areas.