Rohingya refugees feel unsafe and unheard, MSF survey reveals

Highlights:

• 84% of Rohingya refugees feel unsafe returning to Myanmar
• 58% feel unsafe in the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar
• 56% report increasing difficulties accessing healthcare
• 150,000 new Rohingya arrivals till July 2025 since late 2023 conflict 

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Eight years after fleeing targeted violence in Myanmar, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh continue to live in fear and uncertainty, facing declining aid, and limited access to essential services, according to a new survey by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) published yesterday.

The report, "The Illusion of Choice: Rohingya Voices Echo from the Camps", draws on the perspectives of 427 refugees in Cox's Bazar, offering a stark insight into the daily struggles of a community trapped in a protracted crisis.

According to the survey, 84% of respondents said they did not feel safe returning to Myanmar, while 58% reported feeling unsafe inside the refugee camps in Bangladesh. More than half, 56%, said they faced growing difficulties in accessing healthcare. Only 37% were aware of upcoming United Nations discussions on their future, with most learning about them informally through social media.

The findings come ahead of a high-level UN conference in New York scheduled for today, which will focus on the plight of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar.

The survey, conducted in the Rohingya language between 26 August and 2 September this year, gathered responses from patients aged 18 and over (46% male and 54% female) at four MSF medical facilities in Cox's Bazar.

"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," he said.

Stories of violence

Many of those surveyed, particularly new arrivals who fled Myanmar during the most recent waves of displacement in 2024, recounted harrowing experiences.

One man, who arrived in Cox's Bazar last year after fleeing northern Rakhine, said he escaped after his daughter was killed in a drone attack.

"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 realised my daughter had already died. People thought I was dead too. I was lying next to my daughter, barely breathing," he said.

"By nightfall, I regained some awareness. I tied my wounds with pieces of my clothing and began crawling across the ground. It was 3 am and I was shouting for help. I eventually lost consciousness again. After one night and one day, I was rescued."

Such testimonies help explain why an overwhelming majority of Rohingya say they would not feel safe returning to Myanmar. But fear of repatriation is matched by despair at the lack of a future in the camps.

One woman told MSF, "If you want to ask me if I want to go back to Burma, I don't want to go back [shedding tears]... 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."

Brockmann said insecurity in the camps was affecting "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 is worsening as donor funding declines, forcing reductions in essential services to a population that relies almost entirely on aid.

Since late 2023, renewed conflict in Myanmar's Rakhine state has triggered fresh displacement. By July 2025, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) had registered 150,000 new arrivals in Bangladesh, though the true figure is thought to be higher, with some people living outside the camps.

Ahead of this week's UN conference, many Rohingya have called for a sustainable future. One patient said, "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."

Brockmann added, "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," he said.