ICJ allows seven States to intervene in Rohingya genocide case, Myanmar

France, Britain, and other countries have been granted permission to intervene in the genocide case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The applications from the seven States were filed back in November 2023 to offer their insights on the matter. The ICJ stated that the countries will be allowed to submit their written observations on the subject-matter of their interventions. The court will decide later on whether they can present their observations during the oral proceedings. The case was initiated by Gambia, a predominantly Muslim nation in West Africa, accusing Myanmar of committing genocide against the Rohingya, a minority Muslim group in the country. A United Nations fact-finding mission determined that Myanmar’s military campaign in 2017, which forced 730,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, involved genocidal acts. Despite the accusations, Myanmar has consistently denied the allegations of genocide, labeling the UN findings as biased and flawed. The country asserts that the military crackdown targeted Rohingya rebels responsible for attacks. The World Court dismissed Myanmar’s objections to the genocide proceedings in July 2022, paving the way for a full-fledged trial. However, a final date for the hearings has not yet been set.