Myanmar denies genocide, calls Rohingya crackdown counterterrorism at ICJ

Myanmar on Friday (16 January) denied that its 2017 military campaign against the Rohingya minority amounted to genocide, telling the United Nations' top court that the operation was a legitimate response to insurgent attacks in Rakhine state.

Addressing judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Myanmar's representative Ko Ko Hlaing said the country was acting against terrorism and rejected allegations that its forces carried out genocidal acts. He argued that Myanmar could not be expected to allow armed groups to operate freely in northern Rakhine.

The campaign followed attacks by a Rohingya militant group and led to accusations of mass killings, sexual violence and the burning of villages, forcing more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh. About 1.2 million Rohingya now live in overcrowded camps there, facing worsening humanitarian conditions.

The case was filed in 2019 by Gambia, which accuses Myanmar of violating the Genocide Convention. Gambian Justice Minister Dawda Jallow said the Rohingya endured decades of persecution that culminated in what he described as genocidal "clearance operations" in 2016 and 2017.

Myanmar disputed Gambia's evidence, including findings by a UN fact-finding mission, saying the claims failed to meet the required burden of proof.

Former leader Aung San Suu Kyi defended Myanmar at earlier hearings in 2019 but is now imprisoned following the 2021 military takeover. In 2022, the court rejected Myanmar's challenge to its jurisdiction, allowing the case to proceed.

Separately, the International Criminal Court has sought an arrest warrant for junta chief Min Aung Hlaing over alleged crimes against humanity linked to the Rohingya.