Eight years after fleeing targeted violence in Myanmar, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh remain trapped in a prolonged crisis marked by insecurity, shrinking humanitarian aid and little control over their future, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said in a new report Monday.
The report comes ahead of a high-level UN conference in New York on September 30 to discuss the situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar.
MSF said it consulted 427 Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar between August 26 and September 2 through a structured questionnaire in the Rohingya language. The respondents, aged 18 and older, were 46% male and 54% female and were receiving care at four MSF medical facilities.
The survey found that 84% of refugees would not feel safe returning to Myanmar, while 58% said they feel unsafe inside the camps. More than half (56%) reported increasing challenges in accessing healthcare.
Only 37% were aware of the upcoming UN discussions, with most learning about it informally on social media rather than through official channels, MSF said.
“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.”
Brockmann said insecurity shapes every aspect of camp life, from whether parents can take a sick child to a clinic at night to living in shelters that offer little protection from violence.
“After eight years in limbo in Cox’s Bazar, the humanitarian situation remains untenable,” he said. “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.”
The report also includes testimonies from new arrivals. One Rohingya man who reached Cox’s Bazar in 2024 said he fled after his daughter was killed in a drone strike in northern Rakhine. Shrapnel tore into his stomach and legs, leaving him unconscious beside her body. Thought dead, he survived and was rescued the following day.
MSF said accounts such as these underscore why an overwhelming majority would not feel safe returning to Myanmar.
“The situation in the camps is worsening as essential services are reduced,” the report said. “Significant cuts in donor funding are putting vital assistance at risk for a population almost entirely dependent on aid.”
Since late 2023, escalating conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine state has triggered new displacement, with about 150,000 Rohingya refugees arriving in Bangladesh by July 2025, according to the UN refugee agency UNHCR.
MSF is an independent international medical humanitarian organization that provides medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters or exclusion from healthcare.
