Myanmar Faces Genocide Accusations in Global Court

Myanmar is facing serious accusations. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will hear a case against Myanmar. It starts on January 12th. It will run until January 29th. The case is about genocide against the Rohingya Muslims. Gambia is the one bringing the case. Gambia is a Muslim-majority country in West Africa. It has the support of the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation. Gambia filed the case in 2019. They accuse Myanmar of genocide. Myanmar denies the charges. They say their actions were against rebels. Not against the Rohingya people. The court will hear Myanmar's side from January 16th to 20th. The court will also hear from witnesses. This is unusual. The hearings will be closed to the public. No media will be allowed.A UN mission found evidence of genocidal acts. This was in a 2017 military campaign. It forced 730, 000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh. Myanmar rejects the UN findings. They call them biased and flawed. The case is under the 1948 Genocide Convention. Both Myanmar and Gambia signed this treaty. It defines genocide as acts to destroy a group. This includes killing, harm, and forced conditions. The ICJ has only confirmed one genocide since 1948. That was the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. The outcome of this case could set precedents. It might affect future genocide cases. Countries like Canada, France, Germany, and the UK are involved. They argue genocide is not just about mass killings. It includes forced displacement and other crimes.