Rohingya refugees protest Bangladesh camp conditions

Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees protested in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar camps on Tuesday, marking nine years since a Myanmar military crackdown drove many from their homes and calling attention to worsening conditions.

More than 1.2 million Rohingya refugees live in about 30 overcrowded camps in Bangladesh, many after fleeing Myanmar in 2017. The camps in Cox's Bazar form the world's largest refugee settlement.

The United Council of Rohingya said it organised the rally to remember atrocities and highlight the continuing humanitarian crisis. Sabikunnahar, a 32-year-old refugee who fled to Bangladesh in 2017, said memories of killings, arson and eviction from land remained painful.

Aid agencies say conditions in the camps have deteriorated because of funding cuts and reduced food rations. Children make up more than half the refugee population. Golam Mostofa, who leads Save the Children's work in the camps, said a generation of children was growing up in exile while families faced worsening hunger, fewer opportunities and uncertainty.

Save the Children said one in three refugees is expected to face crisis hunger levels or worse between September and December.

Moulovi Abdus Salam, 41, who arrived in Bangladesh last year, said his family fled after gunmen raped women, killed his brothers and looted his shop. He said food rations in Bangladesh covered at most 20 days and called for conditions that would allow Rohingya to return home safely.

Sikandar, 75, who arrived in 2017, said there was no realistic plan for a safe return to Myanmar and said humanitarian aid, including food and healthcare, was insufficient.

Bangladeshi authorities say they are overstretched and have called for the dignified return of the Rohingya to Myanmar. The 2017 Myanmar crackdown, in which Rohingya villages were burned and civilians killed, is the subject of a genocide case at the UN's top court in The Hague.

Diplomatic missions in Bangladesh said in a joint statement published by the British High Commission on Tuesday that conditions in Myanmar did not allow safe repatriation. They said conflict was escalating across Rakhine, humanitarian need was rising, and insecurity, airstrikes on civilian infrastructure and blockades on aid and trade were worsening the crisis.