Maldives submits observations in Rohingya genocide case at ICJ

The Maldives has submitted its written observations in the genocide case brought by Gambia against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

The case, initiated by Gambia in 2019, accuses Myanmar of committing genocide against the Rohingya, a minority Muslim group in Myanmar.

The Maldives was among around half a dozen countries that applied in November 2023 to intervene in the case. On July 3, 2024, the ICJ found the Maldives’ declaration of intervention admissible, and invited the country to submit written observations on the subject matter of its intervention.

In a statement on Wednesday morning, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) announced that Attorney General Ahmed Usham, as the agent if Maldives, filed the country’s written observations with the court on February 28.

According to the AGO, the Maldives’ observations focused on the construction of certain provisions of the Genocide Convention, in particular Articles I, IV, V and VI of the Convention, which concern the duty to punish genocide.

“The Maldives remains steadfast in its efforts to contribute to the international community’s pursuit of justice and to support the enforcement of the provisions of the Genocide Convention,” added the AGO in its statement.

A United Nations fact-finding mission concluded that a 2017 military campaign by Myanmar that drove 730,000 Rohingya into neighboring Bangladesh had included "genocidal acts".

Myanmar has denied genocide, rejecting the UN findings as "biased and flawed". It says its crackdown was aimed at Rohingya rebels who had carried out attacks.

The ICJ rejected Myanmar's objections to the genocide proceedings in July 2022, paving the way for the case to be heard.