While the horrific treatment of the Rohingya in Myanmar has been repeatedly condemned by many quarters and also resulted in various protests across Pakistan, the simple truth of the matter is that such atrocities can not be addressed by simply staging a march or shouting from the rooftops. Any issue of international concern has to be tackled through the channels and mediums available so as to ensure that long-standing and enforceable measures can be implemented in order to tackle the crisis under question. Hence, while many simply chose to voice their outrage, Gambia chose to take action. The small West African nation decided to approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which traditionally resolves disputes between nations, in an attempt to hold representatives from the Myanmar government responsible for the genocide being committed against the Rohingya. Last week the ICJ ordered Myanmar to take “all measures within its power” to prevent the alleged genocide against Rohingya Muslims. But, for the Rohingya Muslim community in Myanmar, the nightmare continues. On the one hand, the Rohingya are being killed mercilessly in the state of Rakhine in Myanmar, with hundreds of individuals having already fled to Bangladesh. On the other hand, they are being denied access to citizenship upon reaching Bangladesh; with virtually no support or relief being provided from other nations around the world to ensure that Bangladesh is equipped to tackle this mass exodus. Thus far, more than 740,000 people have been forced to flee Myanmar, while 600,000 Rohingya in Myanmar are facing a “serious risk of genocide” according to the United Nations. The irreparable legacy of Aung San Suu Kyi The fact that Aung San Suu Kyi chose to appear before the ICJ to defend the actions of the authorities in Myanmar serves as an apt indicator of just how far the star of the once universally celebrated Nobel laureate has fallen. Kyi, Myanmar’s de facto leader, did write that war crimes “may have been committed,” but she was adamant before the ICJ that those actions “cannot be considered as genocide.” Evidently, in light of the ICJ decision, Kyi has failed to defend the atrocities committed against the Rohingya. However, it has been her unflinching desire to stand by the actions of the Myanmar government through all this which has forever tainted her legacy. The fact that the ICJ has ordered Myanmar to take immediate measures to prevent genocide means that the last vestiges of Kyi’s quickly crumbling international image have also vanished. The Gambian example
The Rohingya case was brought before the ICJ by Gambia, with the nation accusing Myanmar of violating the United Nations’ 1948 Convention on Genocide. However, this begs the question: out of the 152 countries which have ratified the Convention on Genocide, why was Gambia the only who chose to file a case against Myanmar? Abubacarr Tambadou, who is the minister of justice in Gambia, led the charge on this matter because he had personally witnessed the conditions in which the Rohingya were living and stated,
“Military and civilians would organise systematic attacks against Rohingya, burn down houses, snatch babies from their mothers’ arms and throw them alive into burning fires, round up and execute men; girls were gang-raped and put through all types of sexual violence.”
The Gambian effort was backed by the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC), and showcases a rare instance of unity amongst Muslim nations. But more than anything, the determination of Tambadou to bring this issue under the global spotlight and hold Myanmar accountable before the ICJ serves as an important reminder for nations across the world that true change can only come about when one chooses to take action through the proper channels. As Tambadou himself said,
“The case at ICJ is Gambia showing the world you don’t have to have military power or economic power to denounce oppression. Legal obligation and moral responsibility exist for all states, big or small.”