Bangladesh: Rohingya voices echo from camps ahead of UN conference
MSF’s new report reveals people trapped in crisis, facing violence and shrinking aid
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 people caught in a protracted crisis, facing constant threats of violence, diminishing assistance 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 Sept. 30 on the situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar, the voices of the people most affected remain largely unheard. Ahead of the conference, MSF consulted 427 Rohingya people living in refugee camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district to provide 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 findings that:
- 84% of Rohingya refugees would not feel safe returning to Myanmar
- 58% of Rohingya feel unsafe in the camps in Cox’s Bazar
- 56% of Rohingya in Cox’s Bazar report increasing difficulties accessing healthcare
- 37% of Rohingya refugees were aware of the upcoming UN discussions, the majority learning of it informally through social media platforms
The recent consultations included a structured questionnaire shared with patients aged 18 and over (46 per cent male and 54 per cent female) who were accessing services at four MSF medical facilities. The survey was conducted in the Rohingya language from Aug. 26 to Sept. 2, 2025.
“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,” says Paul Brockmann, MSF regional director of operations. “Decades of persecution and living in limbo have taken a severe toll — affecting not only their physical health but also their mental well-being.”
“Rohingya refugees continue to face severe restrictions on their movements and in their daily lives. 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.”
Paul Brockmann, MSF regional director of operations
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. This man, who arrived in Cox’s Bazar in 2024 after fleeing northern Rakhine, told MSF he fled after his daughter was killed:
“A drone fell near me in Myanmar. 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. As one patient explained: “If you want to ask me if I want to go back to Burma [Myanmar], I don’t want to go back… 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.”
The situation in the camps is worsening as essential services are reduced. Significant cuts in donor funding are putting vital assistance at risk for a community 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 had noted 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, including this patient who states: “We want a better life, with dignity and equality in the world, because everyone deserves a peaceful life. 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. 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 towards a life where a safe, dignified and voluntary return is truly possible,” says Brockmann.
