Military faces Rohingya genocide hearing at UN court

Finally, I feel like our voices are being heard, and like something is going to happen that is positive for the community,” said Monaira*.

- By Rebecca Ratcliffe

She was forced to flee her home in Myanmar in 2017, when the military launched so-called clearance operations across Rohingya villages.

During the violence, her brother was taken by soldiers, shot dead, and his home set on fire. “Children were thrown into the fire in front of my eyes,” said Monaira, who was raped by military personnel.

She is among the survivors of the Myanmar military’s brutal crackdowns on the country’s Rohingya minority, many of whom hoped to move a step closer to justice on Monday, as a genocide case opened at the UN’s top court, the international court of justice (ICJ).

The case, which was filed by the Gambia, centres on 2016-17 military operations that forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh.

“We demand justice,” said Monaira, who travelled from a refugee camp in Bangladesh to The Hague to listen to hearings.

The proceedings are the first genocide case the ICJ has heard at this level in more than a decade and are likely to set a precedent for how future allegations are assessed.