ICJ to Deliver Final Verdict in The Gambia v. Myanmar Rohingya Genocide Case on November 19
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the main court of the United Nations, announced on November 3, 2026 that it will deliver its final judgment in The Gambia v. Myanmar on November 19, 2026, at the Peace Palace in The Hague.
The case was filed by The Gambia in November 2019, with the backing of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The Gambia says Myanmar broke the 1948 Genocide Convention through its 2017 military "clearance operations" against the Rohingya in Rakhine State.
These operations drove at least 730,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh. Myanmar denies genocide and calls the 2017 operations a counter-terrorism response to attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).
Earlier stages: in January 2020 the court ordered provisional measures (urgent orders) asking Myanmar to prevent genocidal acts; in July 2022 it rejected Myanmar's objections and confirmed it has jurisdiction. Merits hearings were held from January 12 to 29, 2026.
Eleven states were allowed to intervene: Maldives, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Slovenia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Belgium and Ireland.
This will be only the third final ICJ judgment on whether a state is responsible for genocide, after two Balkan cases. It is expected to influence other genocide cases before the court, such as South Africa's case against Israel.
International Court of Justice (ICJ)
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the main court of the United Nations. It settles legal disputes between countries (not between individuals) and gives legal advice, called advisory opinions, to UN bodies. It sits at the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. It is often called the "World Court".
The Gambia v. Myanmar shows the ICJ's contentious jurisdiction at work, based on the compromissory clause in Article IX of the Genocide Convention. Its November 19 judgment will be final and binding on Myanmar, but its enforcement will depend on Myanmar's compliance and, if needed, on the UN Security Council under Article 94.
UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948)
The Genocide Convention is an international treaty that makes genocide a crime under international law. It defines what genocide is, and it puts a duty on every member country to prevent genocide and to punish those who commit it, whether in war or in peace. It was the first human rights treaty adopted by the UN General Assembly, on December 9, 1948, one day before the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
The Gambia used Article IX of the Genocide Convention to take Myanmar to the ICJ, even though The Gambia was not directly affected. On November 19, the court will decide whether Myanmar is responsible for genocide against the Rohingya under Article II, which will turn on whether "intent to destroy" the group is proved.
Rohingya Crisis
The Rohingya are a mostly Muslim ethnic group who have lived for generations in Rakhine State (also called Arakan) in western Myanmar, next to Bangladesh. Myanmar does not recognise them as one of its official ethnic groups and denies most of them citizenship, which makes them one of the largest stateless groups in the world. Waves of violence, especially in 2017, have pushed over a million of them into Bangladesh, where they live in huge refugee camps.
The ICJ judgment on November 19 will decide whether Myanmar, as a state, is responsible for genocide against the Rohingya during the 2017 clearance operations. Whatever the verdict, it will shape the refugees' demands for justice and safe return, and the debate in Bangladesh and India about their future.
- Judgment date: November 19, 2026, at the Peace Palace, The Hague (announced November 3, 2026)
- Case filed: November 11, 2019, by The Gambia, backed by the 57-member OIC
- Provisional measures order: January 23, 2020
- Judgment on preliminary objections (jurisdiction confirmed): July 22, 2022
- Merits hearings: January 12 to 29, 2026
- Intervening states: 11 (Maldives; Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, UK jointly; Slovenia; DR Congo; Belgium; Ireland)
- At least 730,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after August 2017
- Only the third final ICJ merits judgment on state responsibility for genocide, after Bosnia v. Serbia (2007) and Croatia v. Serbia (2015)