Gambia to file case against Myanmar

Gambia will be taking Myanmar to the International Court of Justice to face charges of genocide against its Rohingya minority, Gambia's Attorney General and Minister for Justice Abubacarr Marie Tambadou announced at a conclave on Justice and Accountability for the Rohingya in Hague.

The Conclave on Justice and Accountability for the Rohingya on 18 October 2019 was co-convened by the Asia Justice Coalition and the Centre of Peace and Justice at BRAC University in Dhaka. The Conclave was hosted in Hague by the International Institute of Social Studies at Erasmus University.

"I can confirm that on October 4, I have instructed our lawyers to file the case at the International Court of Justice to file the case at the International Court of Justice," Abubacarr M. Tambadou told participants at the 18 October Conclave.

"I could smell the stench of genocide from miles away when I visited the Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar. It was all too familiar for me, after a decade of interacting with the victims of the Rwandan mass rapes, killings and genocide."

Abubacarr M. Tambadou previously served as a special assistant to the Prosecutor at the Intenratonal Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Speakers at the Conclave included Bob Rae, Canada's Special Envoy to Myanmar, who affirmed the need to hold Myanmar accountable for crimes against the Rohingya.

The Asia Justice Coalition, a co-convener of the Conclave, is a network of organisations promoting justice and accountability for gross violations of international human rights law in Asia. Member organisations of the Asia Cooalition include Burmese Rohingya Organisation, Centre for Peace and Justice, Asia Justice and Rights, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Commission of Jurists.