ICJ set to rule on Rohingya genocide

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is expected to deliver its verdict in October 2026 in the case concerning allegations of genocide against the Rohingya in Myanmar, Gambia’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice Dawda A. Jallow has said.

Jallow conveyed the expected timeline during a meeting with Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir on the sidelines of the 23rd OIC Extraordinary Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Jeddah on Thursday.

He said the court’s verdict on accountability for atrocities committed against the Rohingya would be an important step towards finding a sustainable solution to the protracted crisis.

The Rohingya crisis has remained unresolved since hundreds of thousands of members of the persecuted minority fled Myanmar to Bangladesh following a brutal military crackdown in 2017.

Bangladesh continues to host more than one million Rohingya refugees, while efforts to ensure their safe and dignified return to Myanmar have repeatedly stalled.

The State Minister appreciated The Gambia’s leadership in pursuing accountability for the Rohingya before the ICJ and underscored the importance of continued cooperation between the two countries.

Kobir stressed that Bangladesh and The Gambia should work closely, particularly during Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister’s presidency of the United Nations General Assembly, to keep the Rohingya crisis high on the international agenda.

He also emphasised the need to advance efforts towards a comprehensive and sustainable resolution to the crisis, including the safe, dignified and voluntary return of the Rohingya to Myanmar.

The Gambia filed the case against Myanmar at the ICJ in 2019, accusing it of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention through its treatment of the Rohingya.

The case has since become a key international legal avenue for seeking accountability for alleged atrocities against the community.