A LANDMARK case accusing Myanmar of perpetrating genocide against the Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim minority in western Rakhine State, is set to open at the United Nations’ highest court on Monday.
Reuters reported today that the hearing will be the first full genocide trial at the International Court of Justice in more than ten years and is expected to have implications beyond Myanmar, potentially influencing similar cases, including South Africa’s genocide claim against Israel over the conflict in Gaza.
Myanmar has consistently denied the allegations.
“The case is likely to set critical precedents for how genocide is defined and how it can be proven, and how violations can be remedied,” Nicholas Koumjian, head of the U.N.’s Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, told Reuters.
The case was initiated by Gambia in 2019, accusing Myanmar’s military of committing genocide against the Rohingya, a minority who have long faced persecution in the country’s remote western region.
In 2017, Myanmar’s armed forces launched a violent campaign that displaced at least 730,000 Rohingya to neighbouring Bangladesh, where survivors recounted systematic killings, mass rape, and the destruction of villages.
A United Nations fact-finding mission concluded that the 2017 military offensive included acts of genocide. Myanmar’s authorities rejected the report, insisting that the operation was a legitimate counter-terrorism effort in response to attacks by Muslim militants.
During preliminary ICJ hearings in 2019, Myanmar’s then-leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, described Gambia’s genocide claims as “incomplete and misleading.”
Monday’s hearings mark the first occasion in which Rohingya victims will have their experiences considered by an international court, although the sessions will be closed to the public and media to ensure privacy and sensitivity.
The proceedings are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. local time (0900 GMT) and will continue over three weeks.
Myanmar has endured further political turmoil since 2021, when its military ousted the elected civilian government and violently suppressed pro-democracy protests, igniting a nationwide armed resistance.
The country is currently conducting phased elections widely criticised by the United Nations, Western governments, and human rights organisations as neither free nor fair.
The outcome of this ICJ case is widely expected to set significant legal benchmarks, not only for Myanmar but for the international community’s ability to define, prove, and remedy acts of genocide. - January 12, 2026
