The Gambia’s case against Myanmar has persuaded judges at the International Court of Justice on Thursday to order Naypyidaw to prevent genocide against the vulnerable Rohingya Muslim population in the southeast Asian nation.
Myanmar was sued by the West African country in November 2019, over an alleged systematic crackdown on the Rohingyas which led to mass deaths and thousands seeking refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh.
Reacting to the conclusions of a report by an ICJ fact-finding team to the country recently, the World Court upheld the view by The Gambia that there exists risk of genocide or egregious violations of the Rohingyas who constitute a Muslim minority in a country dominated by Buddhism.
The ICJ based in the Netherlands, ordered that the authorities in Myanmar apply all necessary measures to prevent acts that could answer to the description of genocide against this minority group in Rakhine state.
In addition to this, the Southeast Asian nation has been ordered by the same court to provide a report in four months about its progress in removing the risk on the Rohingyas.
After this is it also required to send a report to the ICJ every six months detailing the actions it is taking to protect them.
Banjul has described the ICJ ruling as a great day for international justice and one of many possible victories for The Gambia’s quest to save Myanmar’s boat people from possible genocide.
As the judge read out the ICJ order on Thursday Rohingyas based in camps in Bangladesh brandished “Thank You Gambia” slogans and chanted “Gambia, Gambia” just like they did two months ago when the smallest country on mainland Africa filed the case against Myanmar.
Gambia’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubacar Ba Tambadou had taken the case to the ICJ last year after a personal visit to some of their camps in Bangladesh to learn firsthand what he would later refer to as the stench of genocide.
According to his submission, members of Myanmar’s minority Muslim population were routinely subjected to torture and rape while others were burnt alive including women and children.
Myanmar’s leadership under former Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi denied the allegations.
Tambadou is pushing for justice on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Conference, the world’s largest Islamic body.
His country is set to host an OIC conference in 2022.
EJ/as/APA