Eight years after hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled a campaign of extreme targeted violence in Myanmar, a new report from Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) shows a population caught in a protracted crisis, facing constant threats of violence, diminishing aid, and a profound lack of control over their own future.
As the international community prepares for a high-level conference at the United Nations in New York on September 30 on the situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar, the voices of those most affected remain largely unheard.
Ahead of the conference, MSF surveyed 427 Rohingya refugees living in the camps of Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district, providing a snapshot of the challenges faced by over a million Rohingya. The resulting report “The Illusion of Choice: Rohingya Voices Echo from the Camps” includes the following findings:
- 84 percent of Rohingya refugees would not feel safe returning to Myanmar
- 58 percent of refugees feel unsafe in the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh
- 56 percent of refugees in Cox’s Bazar report increasing difficulty accessing health care
- Only 37 percent of Rohingya refugees were aware of the upcoming UN discussions; the majority learned of it informally through social media platforms
The survey included a structured questionnaire shared with patients aged 18 and up (46 percent male and 54 percent female) accessing services at four MSF medical facilities. The survey was conducted in the Rohingya language and was administered from August 26 to September 2, 2025.
Decades of legal limbo are taking a heavy toll
“Our discussions with Rohingya refugees in the camps reveal a pervasive feeling of helplessness among the community, coupled with a push for longer-term solutions,” said Paul Brockmann, MSF regional operational director. “Decades of persecution and living in limbo have taken a severe toll—affecting not only their physical health but also their mental well-being.”
Many of the patients we spoke with—especially those who arrived in Bangladesh during the latest waves of displacement in 2024—described the violence they fled.
“A drone fell near me in Myanmar,” said a man who arrived in Cox’s Bazar in 2024 after fleeing northern Rakhine. He told MSF, “It tore through everyone, regardless of their age or gender. I had my daughter with me, but the drone injured both of us. It hit me in the stomach and legs. When I regained my senses, I realized my daughter had already died. People thought I was dead too. I was lying next to my daughter, barely breathing. By nightfall, I regained some awareness. I tied my wounds with pieces of my clothing and began crawling across the ground. It was 3 a.m. and I was shouting for help. I eventually lost consciousness again. After one night and one day, I was rescued.”
Testimonies from new arrivals paint a grim picture that explains why an overwhelming majority would not feel safe returning to Myanmar under current conditions. While the fear of returning to Myanmar is profound, many refugees also express despair at the lack of a future in the camps.
“I don’t want to go back, " said one Rohingya patient. "I have a dream for my children’s future. I don’t have any education and not a single opportunity, but I want my children to get educated. ...Here [in Bangladesh] there is no hope for my children’s education. People can take away my property, money, and everything, but nobody can take away knowledge and education."
“Rohingya refugees continue to face severe restrictions on their movements and in their daily lives,” says Brockmann. “Insecurity affects everything—from whether parents feel able to bring a sick child to a clinic at night, to the daily reality of living in shelters that offer little protection from violence.”
Funding cuts add a new layer of hardship
The situation in the camps is worsening as essential services are scaled back. Significant cuts in donor funding are putting vital assistance at risk for a population that is almost entirely dependent on aid. Since late 2023, escalating conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine state has driven a new wave of Rohingya people to flee to Bangladesh.
By July 2025, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recorded 150,000 newly arrived refugees; though the actual number is likely higher, with some living informally in and outside of the camps. Ahead of this week's UN Conference, Rohingya people have made their concerns and calls for a sustainable future clear: “We want a better life, with dignity and equality in the world, because everyone deserves a peaceful life,” said one patient. “We want repatriation with our citizenship rights, safety, our houses, our identity.”
“After eight years in limbo in Cox’s Bazar, the humanitarian situation for Rohingya refugees remains untenable,” added Brockmann. “The absence of future pathways and worsening mental health are eroding hope. The Rohingya are asking for more than shelter and rations. They want a future—through return with rights and safety, or resettlement with dignity. This requires their voices being central to all discussions, providing access to essential services and opportunities for self-reliance, and working toward a life where a safe, dignified, and voluntary return is truly possible.”
We speak out. Get updates.
Story Feb 10, 2026
Understanding the aid shift and its devastating impact on global healt...
Read more