THE HAGUE, Jan 12 (AP): Myanmar heard accusations that it is responsible for genocide against the Rohingya ethnic minority at the top court of the United Nations, as long-awaited hearings began on Monday.
The West African country of Gambia first filed the case at the International Court of Justice in 2019, arguing a so-called "clearance operation" by Myanmar's military in 2017 violated the 1948 Genocide Convention.
The Southeast Asian country, which has since been taken over by the military, has denied the allegations.
In his opening statements, Gambian Justice Minister Dawda Jallow said his country brought the case out of "a sense of responsibility" after its own experience with a military government. "We must use our moral voice in condemnation of oppression, of crimes against individuals, and of groups, wherever and whenever they occur," he said, addressing a full courtroom in The Hague.
Jallow then asked about a dozen members of the Rohingya who had made the long journey to the the Great Hall of Justice to stand to be seen by the judges. They rose silently.
Myanmar launched the campaign in Rakhine state in 2017 after an attack by a Rohingya insurgent group. Security forces were accused of mass rapes, killings and torching thousands of homes as more than 700,000 Rohingya fled into neighboring Bangladesh.
Now, some 1.2 million members of this persecuted minority are languishing in chaotic, overcrowded camps, where armed groups recruit children and girls as young as 12 are forced into prostitution. The sudden and severe foreign aid cuts imposed last year by U.S. President Donald Trump shuttered thousands of the camps' schools and have caused children to starve to death.
Hearings on whether Myanmar committed genocide against Rohingya opens at UN court
FE Team | Published: January 12, 2026 21:35:40
Hearings on whether Myanmar committed genocide against Rohingya opens at UN court
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