More than 2,000 people marched in Myanmar’s Yangon on Sunday to show their support for the Army, which faces criticism internationally over killings and persecution of Rohingya Muslims in the country’s Rakhine State, AP reported.

The supporters included Buddhist nationalists and monks. “I want to urge you to support the military,” one monk was quoted as saying. “Only if the military is strengthened will our sovereignty will be secured.”

Rohingyas have been denied citizenship in Myanmar and are classified as illegal immigrants. The community has been subjected to violence by the Buddhist majority and the Army in Myanmar, though the country has repeatedly denied this claim.

More than six lakh Rohingyas have fled violence in the northern Rakhine state since August, after security forces launched an operation in response to attacks allegedly carried out by militants. Most of them have crossed the border into Bangladesh, where they live in crowded refugee camps. The refugees have described brutal violence and severe food shortage in Rakhine.