The Illusion of Choice: Rohingya Voices Echo from the Camps ahead of UN Conference

As the international community prepares for a high-level conference at the United Nations in New York on 30 September 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 consulted 427 Rohingya refugees living in the 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 refugees feel unsafe in the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

· 56% of refugees in Cox’s Bazar report increasing difficulties accessing healthcare

· Only 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% male and 54% female) who were accessing services at four MSF medical facilities. The survey was conducted in the Rohingya language from 26 August to 2 September 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. Decades of persecution and living in limbo have taken a severe toll — affecting not only their physical health but also their mental well-being,” says Paul Brockmann MSF Regional Operational Director.

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 realised 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 am 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, 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."’

“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,” says Paul Brockmann.

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 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) had 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,” adds Paul Brockmann.

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an independent international medical humanitarian organization that provides medical assistance to people affected by

conflict, epidemics, disasters, or exclusion from healthcare. Our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of impartiality, independence, and neutrality. MSF has a significant and long-standing presence in Bangladesh, with a major focus on providing medical care in the Cox's Bazar district. In other parts of the country, MSF has provided medical care for a range of issues including malaria, Kala-azar, and during emergencies – including during floods, as well as providing healthcare to marginalized communities in urban areas. The organization's efforts in the region are a response to a protracted humanitarian crisis, with over one million Rohingya people living in camps, many of whom have fled violence in Myanmar since in 2017.