Thousands of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh have participated in demonstrations within refugee camps to mark the seventh anniversary of the military coup in Myanmar that forced them to flee. In the camps located in Cox’s Bazar, refugees of all ages, from children to the elderly, waved signs and chanted slogans demanding an end to violence and a safe return to Myanmar. Many wore ribbons with the words “Rohingya genocide remembrance.” Messages such as “Hope is Home” and “We Rohingya are citizens of Myanmar” were visible on their placards. “Enough is enough. Stop the violence and attacks on the Rohingya community,” said refugee Hafizur Rahman to Reuters.

The Rohingya have long been targets of discrimination and ethnic violence in Myanmar. In 2017, at least 750,000 Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladesh after the Burmese military launched a comprehensive attack, which is currently the subject of a genocide case at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

In recent weeks, thousands of Rohingya have reportedly fled from Rakhine State in western Myanmar to Bangladesh as fighting between the military government and the Arakan Army, a powerful ethnic militia, has escalated. The international medical organization Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) reported that their teams in Cox’s Bazar treated 39 individuals for conflict-related injuries, including wounds from mortar shelling and gunfire, in the days leading up to August 7. More than 40 percent of those injured were women and children, they added in a statement.

UNICEF has also expressed concern over the deteriorating situation in Rakhine, citing increasing reports of civilians, especially children, caught in crossfire. “Seven years after the exodus from Myanmar, around half a million Rohingya refugee children are growing up in the world’s largest refugee camp,” the organization stated.

“We wish to return to our homeland with all our rights. The United Nations should take initiatives to ensure our living conditions and peaceful coexistence with other ethnic communities in Myanmar,” said refugee Mohammed Taher.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s de facto foreign minister in the interim government, Mohammad Touhid Hossain, has stated that other neighboring countries of Myanmar, such as India, should do more to help. Hossain also called for increased international pressure on the Arakan Army to stop attacks on Rohingya in Rakhine State.

Orla Murphy, the country representative for Médecins Sans Frontières in Bangladesh, emphasized in a statement that there is an urgent need to protect civilians caught in the conflict in Myanmar. “People should not be subjected to arbitrary violence and should be allowed to move to safer areas, while anyone in need of vital medical treatment should have unhindered and sustained access to medical facilities,” said Murphy.