Rohingyas rally across camps demanding swift, safe repatriation to Myanmar
The rallies were held around 11am at Ukhiya’s Camp 4 Extension, Camp 13 and Camp 9, and at Camp 26 in Teknaf.
Rohingyas held rallies at four camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf today (25 August), marking nine years of the crisis and demanding a swift return to their homeland. Their central slogan was, "One final demand, we want to return to Arakan."
The rallies were held around 11am at Ukhiya's Camp 4 Extension, Camp 13 and Camp 9, and at Camp 26 in Teknaf. The largest was at the football field of Camp 4 Extension, where more than 100,000 Rohingyas gathered under the banner of the United Council of Rohingya (UCR).
UCR president Jahangir Alam chaired the rally, addressed by founding president Sayed Hossain, Rohingya leaders Kamal Hossain, Arif Ullah and Mujib Ullah, and leaders of student, youth and community organisations.
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From morning, women, men and children marched from different blocks carrying banners and placards, chanting that they wanted to leave refugee life and return home. "No more refugee life, we want to return to our homeland," read one of their repeated demands.
A UCR rally at Shalbagan field in Teknaf began at 9am. Rohingya cleric Mohammad Yousuf opened it with a tarana in the Rohingya language depicting persecution in Myanmar and urged the international community to accelerate repatriation.
UCR member Abu Taher said Rohingyas have their own history and heritage in Myanmar. Those calling them "Bengali", he said, must produce documentary evidence, while Myanmar must prove its claim that Rohingyas are not indigenous to the country.
"Nine years have passed, yet we see no effective path home," he said, warning that failure to secure safe, dignified repatriation through dialogue could make the situation more difficult. "If return is not possible through negotiations, we are ready to take up arms," he said.
Teknaf Rohingya leader Badrul Islam said August 25 was "a day of unrest, not happiness", recalling the 2017 genocide and persecution in Rakhine that drove millions from their homes. "We want justice for that genocide," he said.
Leda camp chairman Mohammad Alam thanked Bangladesh for sheltering the Rohingyas but said they had stayed too long. "We are guests in this country. Now we should return to our birthplace," he said.
Resettlement elsewhere, he added, could threaten Rohingya existence, making international support for safe and dignified repatriation essential.
Mohammad Zubayer, acting chairman of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Humanity in Ukhiya, said they wanted a safe country for the next generation. After nine years of refugee life in Bangladesh, he said, "We want freedom from this floating life and to return home safely."
The Armed Police Battalion (APBn) strengthened security in the camps. Muhammad Kawsar Sikder, additional DIG of 16 APBn, said Rohingyas held the genocide-day programmes peacefully, demanding an end to refugee life, citizenship rights and dignified repatriation.
