Myanmar tells UN court Rohingya campaign not a genocide
Myanmar has told the United Nations top court that Gambia has not proven its accusation that the Myanmar government is committing genocide against the minority Muslim Rohingya, as part of a hearing in the landmark case.
Gambia, where predominantly Muslims live, took the case to the International Court of Justice in 2019.
The West African country told a court on Monday that Myanmar authorities were targeting the Rohingya to exterminate them, allegations Myanmar denied.
Ko Ko Hlaing, the representative of the Myanmar government, said in his statement to the ICJ, also known as the World Court, “Gambia failed to fulfill its burden of proof. This case will be decided on the basis of proven facts, not unfounded allegations.” he said.
WATCH LIVE: Myanmar presents its first round of oral arguments before the #ICJ on the merits of the case regarding the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (#TheGambia v. #Myanmar; 11 intervening States).https://t.co/6TjF3Rvb69— CIJ_ICJ (@CIJ_ICJ) January 16, 2026
Myanmar armed forces launched an offensive in 2017 that forced at least 730,000 Rohingya from their homes into neighboring Bangladesh; Murders, gang rapes and arson were described here.
The United Nations’ investigative mission concluded that the military attack in 2017 involved “acts of a genocidal nature”.
Myanmar has denied genocide and Ko Ko Hlaing told judges the attack was a legitimate counter-terrorism campaign in response to attacks by Muslim militants.
He added that the UN fact-finding mission was not objective or reliable.
Buddhist-majority Myanmar has long viewed its Rohingya Muslim minority as “Bengalis” from Bangladesh, even though their families have lived in the country for generations.
Almost all of them have been denied citizenship since 1982.
Gambian lawyers argued that it would be unreasonable for the judges to conclude that Myanmar’s attack on thousands of Rohingya civilians, including women, children and the elderly, and the burning of their villages were carried out solely for counter-terrorism purposes.
They said his conduct during the raid showed genocidal intent, which is legally required to establish that genocide has been committed.
Ko Ko Hlaing stressed that his government was committed to repatriating and resettling Rohingya refugees from camps in Bangladesh, but said these efforts were hampered by factors beyond its control, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, cyclone and political instability.
“Myanmar’s determination and sustained efforts since 2017 contradict Gambia’s narrative that Myanmar’s intention is to exterminate or forcibly deport this population,” he said.
The ICJ is the highest court of the UN and deals with disputes between states.
Gambia’s case, supported by the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation, is the first genocide case that the ICJ has heard in full in more than a decade.
The final decision is expected to be made towards the end of 2026.
The outcome will have repercussions beyond Myanmar and is likely to affect South Africa’s 2023 genocide case against Israel at the ICJ over the war in the Gaza Strip.
Israel also denies genocide, and Israeli lawyers dismissed South Africa’s case as an abuse of the genocide convention.
Myanmar has been experiencing further turmoil since 2021, when the military overthrew the elected civilian government and violently suppressed pro-democracy protests, sparking an armed rebellion.
The country is currently holding staggered elections that have been criticized by the United Nations, some countries and human rights groups as not being free or fair.
The military said the vote had public support and was carried out without pressure.
The hearings will last three weeks, and starting next Wednesday, the court will hear from Rohingya victims of the alleged atrocities in closed sessions.
This will be the first time Rohingya victims have been heard directly by an international tribunal.
with AP
