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ICJ Opens Landmark Genocide Hearings Against Myanmar Over Rohingya Atrocities

The outcome could set legal benchmarks with implications for South Africa’s Gaza petition.

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Myanmar's Union Minister for the Ministry of the President's Office Ko Ko Hlaing sits in the courtroom, as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) starts two weeks of hearings in a landmark case brought by Gambia, which accuses Myanmar of committing genocide against the Rohingya, a minority Muslim group, in The Hague, Netherlands, January 12, 2026. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
UN top court set to open Myanmar Rohingya genocide case
FILE - In this Sept. 7, 2017, file photo, smoke rises from a burned house in Gawdu Zara village, northern Rakhine state, where the vast majority of the country's 1.1 million Rohingya lived, Myanmar. (AP Photo, File)

Overview

  • The Gambia opened its case at the UN’s top court, arguing Myanmar targeted the Rohingya for destruction during 2017 operations in Rakhine State.
  • Hearings run January 12–29 in The Hague, with The Gambia presenting first, Myanmar responding next, and three closed days set for Rohingya survivor testimony.
  • Myanmar denies genocide and frames the crackdown as counterinsurgency, but the court ordered provisional measures in 2020 and affirmed jurisdiction in 2022.
  • An adverse ruling would be binding on states yet difficult to enforce, potentially increasing diplomatic pressure and influencing other proceedings under the Genocide Convention.
  • Separate ICC efforts continue, including a 2024 request for an arrest warrant for military chief Min Aung Hlaing, while more than a million Rohingya remain in camps in Bangladesh.