The Gambia has formally presented to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) the profound suffering and destitution faced by the Rohingya Muslim minority due to the inhumane actions of Myanmar’s military government. The hearings for the Rohingya genocide case are scheduled to take place from January 12 to January 29. This marks the first time in nearly a decade that the ICJ has conducted hearings regarding a genocide case. The case against Myanmar, alleging genocide against the Rohingya people, was brought to the ICJ by The Gambia, a Muslim-majority nation in West Africa, with the full backing of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
During today’s hearing at the ICJ, The Gambia’s Justice Minister, Dawda Jallow, stated that Myanmar’s military has committed numerous inhumane atrocities aimed at the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims, thereby devastating their lives and future. The ICJ announced that The Gambia will have the opportunity to present its oral arguments from January 12 to 15. Subsequently, Myanmar, which continues to deny the allegations of genocide, will be given the opportunity to present its defense from January 16 to 20. Furthermore, the ICJ has allocated a three-day period for the collection of witness testimonies.
A United Nations mission had previously determined that Myanmar’s military government committed genocidal acts against the Rohingya during the brutal crackdown in 2017. To escape these atrocities, more than 730,000 Rohingya fled to neighboring Bangladesh. As people continue to seek refuge from ongoing violence, the number of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh has now surpassed one million.
