Forced repatriation of refugees to Myanmar is neither safe nor viable

Civilians in Rakhine state and other parts of Myanmar face extreme violence, and the country remains in active conflict, with bombings, mass killings, forced recruitment, and severe restrictions on humanitarian access. Returns to Myanmar are neither safe nor viable under these conditions.

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) calls on world leaders to halt these unsafe returns, expand humanitarian access and assistance, and stop treating the repatriation of Rohingya refugees as a solution when conditions are clearly unsafe. Refugees must have viable options for the longer term.

On September 30, 2025, the United Nations hosted a High-Level Conference in New York on the situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar, aiming to propose a concrete plan for a sustainable resolution of the Rohingya refugee crisis, including for their safe, voluntary return to Rakhine state. 

Yet one year later, Rohingya communities have seen too little action and too little accountability. Conditions remain dire in Myanmar, where the conflict has severely disrupted access to care and has put strain on the health system, with medicines often depleted or people unable to reach health facilities. And in the camps of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, where more than 1 million Rohingya refugees live, conditions are deteriorating further.

MSF International President Dr. Javid Abdelmoneim said today:

"One year on since the conference, Rohingya communities have seen too little action and too little accountability. There were strong words at that conference, but for people affected, words have not resulted in change.

“My message to world leaders is this: Stop treating repatriation as a solution when conditions are clearly unsafe. Myanmar remains a place of extreme violence. Civilians are facing aerial bombardment, mass killings, forced recruitment, and sever deprivation. Health care, food supplies, education, and livelihoods are all being disrupted by conflict and insecurity.

“MSF activities, like those of others, have contracted drastically because of insecurity. This is not only about the ability to keep our patients and staff safe from bombs and shelling but also the relentless bureaucracy we're faced with to secure the authorizations to respond, even as needs continue to escalate.

“And yet, we're still seeing dangerous moves toward return. In Malaysia, nearly 1,500 Myanmar refugees are at risk of being returned under a repatriation program announced for the end of September. That's deeply alarming. Let's be clear: Return is not safe, and it is not viable now. Rohingya people themselves are saying this. In our survey last year, 84 percent of Rohingya patients in Bangladesh said they would not feel safe returning to Myanmar. What is needed now is concrete action.

“Forced or premature returns must stop. Any returns must be truly voluntary, safe, and dignified. Host countries must protect refugees and assess protection needs properly. This means identifying if people are at risk of persecution if they are returned to their home countries and upholding the principle of non-refoulement.

“Humanitarian access [in Myanmar] must be expanded, assistance must be sustained, and there must be real accountability for the violence Rohingya people, and all other conflict-affected communities in Myanmar, continue to face."