Rohingya Mark Seven Years in Exile

On the seventh anniversary of their mass exodus, tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees gathered in Bangladesh to demand safe return to Myanmar's Rakhine state, marking the day as 'Rohingya Genocide Day'. The refugees, carrying banners declaring 'Hope is Home' and asserting their citizenship rights, called for an end to violence and accountability for human rights violations by Myanmar. The exodus, which began on August 25, 2017, was triggered by a military crackdown that led to accusations of ethnic cleansing and genocide from the international community. Despite past efforts by Bangladesh to facilitate repatriation, worsening conditions in Myanmar, including renewed violence from the Arakan Army, have complicated these attempts. Refugees expressed their desire to return home rather than continue living in precarious conditions in camps. Community leaders urged the interim government for assistance and called on the global community to intervene and promote justice for their plight.