Rohingya Refugees Rally Ahead of UN Conference

On 27 September 2025, thousands of Rohingya refugees gathered across the camps of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh in one of the largest mobilizations seen in recent years. Days before the UN High-Level Conference on Rohingya in New York, the refugees came together to deliver a single, powerful message to the world: “Justice. Dignity. Safe Return.”

The gathering took place against the backdrop of growing frustration among refugees, who have now spent more than eight years in limbo since the mass atrocities of 2017 forced them to flee from their homes in Arakan (Rakhine State), Myanmar. With dwindling humanitarian aid, worsening security conditions in the camps, and no clear roadmap for repatriation, the Rohingya community declared that they cannot continue to live in uncertainty.

Carrying banners, chanting slogans, and addressing local and international media, Rohingya men, women, and youth made their demands clear. They called upon the United Nations, world powers, and the international community to move beyond rhetoric and deliver concrete actions that guarantee their safety, rights, and future.

At the heart of the rally was the presentation of the Rohingya People’s Five Appeals—a united framework for what the community sees as the only path to justice and survival. These include: an internationally guaranteed Safe Zone in Northern Arakan under the Responsibility to Protect (R2P); safe, voluntary, and dignified repatriation under international supervision; the right to self-determination and political representation; justice and accountability for genocide and crimes against humanity; and rebuilding the Rohingya nation with international support for villages, schools, farms, and infrastructure.

Speakers at the rally emphasized that the Rohingya people’s plight is not only a matter of humanitarian relief but of existential survival. “Our existence as a people is under threat,” said one community leader. “We cannot entrust our future to the same forces that destroyed our homes and families. Only international protection and justice can ensure our safe return.”

The timing of the mobilization was deliberate. The upcoming 30 September UN conference is being billed as a crucial moment for the Rohingya crisis, where Bangladesh and other international actors hope to secure new funding commitments and a time-bound roadmap toward solutions. Refugees in the camps are determined that their voices not be left out of these global discussions. Their rally was both a show of unity and a reminder that any solution must center the voices of those most affected.

Beyond the calls for international protection, the rally also highlighted the deteriorating conditions inside the camps. With the World Food Programme warning of severe ration cuts—potentially reducing monthly aid to just US$6 per person many refugees expressed fear that hunger and insecurity would push their community into further despair. “We cannot survive on empty promises and shrinking food,” said a Rohingya mother holding her child. “We need a future, not just survival.”

As the world prepares to hear speeches and pledges at the UN, the Rohingya community’s message from the camps was unmistakable: they are not passive victims waiting for charity, but a people determined to reclaim their rights, their homeland, and their dignity. The rally ended with a unified call: “Our Future, Our Voice.”

Photo: Credit

Rohingya Vision News