Following weeks of protests by monks and their supporters in Yangon, Mandalay, Sittwe and Pakhukku, Myanmar’s President Thein Sein officially announced he won’t allow the OIC, which represents 57-Muslim countries, to open an office in Sittwe or Mandalay.

In Mandalay, thousands of monks marched from Eain Daw Yar Pagoda to Zay Cho Road, and then turned back once they reached the Sedonar Hotel.

In Yangon, the protesters started at the eastern gate of Shwedagon Pagoda and marched toward Sulay Pagoda. The protesters said the demonstrations will continue until their demands were met.

Earlier this year, the government decided to allow the OIC to build an office to provide humanitarian aid, following violent clashes between Buddhists and Muslims.

The OIC requested an office on the west side of the country where most of Myanmar’s Muslims live, after reports emerged security forces were opening fire on Muslims.

Thousands of people were displaced from their homes after villages were destroyed and many have died due from sectarian violence in Arakan state, last June.