ICJ Hears Genocide Case: Myanmar Accused of Targeting Rohingya for Destruction
The Gambia tells ICJ that Myanmar deliberately targeted Rohingya Muslims for destruction in 2017 crackdown.
Myanmar deliberately unleashed “horrific violence” against the Rohingya minority with the intent to destroy the community, The Gambia told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday. Addressing judges in The Hague, Gambian Justice Minister Dawda Jallow said the case was not an abstract legal dispute but about real people who were systematically targeted for annihilation.
The case, filed by The Gambia in 2019, accuses Myanmar of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention during its 2017 military crackdown in Rakhine state. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims were forced to flee to Bangladesh, recounting widespread killings, sexual violence, and the burning of entire villages.
Legal representatives for The Gambia presented graphic witness testimony, including allegations of gang rape, sexual mutilation, and infants being burned alive. Today, around 1.17 million Rohingya live in overcrowded and fragile refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, where survivors continue to await justice.
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The hearings are being closely watched by international legal experts, as the court’s handling of the case may influence future genocide proceedings, including those involving Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. While ICJ rulings are legally binding, the court has no direct enforcement powers, relying instead on political and diplomatic pressure.
Myanmar has consistently denied allegations of genocide, claiming its military actions were a legitimate response to attacks by Rohingya insurgents. Former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi personally defended the country at the ICJ in 2019, but she has since been detained following the 2021 military coup.
In a provisional ruling in 2020, the ICJ ordered Myanmar to take all measures to prevent acts prohibited under the Genocide Convention. The United States later formally declared the violence against the Rohingya a genocide in 2022, reinforcing international concern.
As the hearings continue until January 29, Rohingya activists and survivors say they are cautiously hopeful. “We have been waiting for justice for many years,” said Tun Khin of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, adding that true justice must include accountability, safe return to their homeland, and compensation for decades of persecution.
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