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Aung San Suu Kyi at the International Court of Justice in The Hague where Burma is being prosecuted for genocide on 11 December 2019. REUTERS / Yves Herman

The de facto head of the Burmese government appeared firm and determined before the International Court of Justice this Wednesday in The Hague. She only acknowledged before the judges that the Burmese army may have used " disproportionate force ".

From our special envoy to The Hague , Vincent Souriau

According to Aung San Suu Kyi , the lawsuit filed by The Gambia draws a misleading and incomplete picture of the situation. " Yes , Burma is deeply committed to international justice, law and treaties ratified by her country, " she said . But first and foremost, it is up to the Burmese courts, courts martial, and the national authorities to work on the crimes committed in Rakhine State where the majority of Rohingyas come from. No other institution has had direct access to the places and actors of the conflict. "

It can not be ruled out that the Burmese army has made disproportionate use of force, according to Aung San Suu Kyi. But genocidal intent can not be the only hypothesis. In other words, there may have been war crimes, perhaps ethnic cleansing , but not the will to exterminate a particular population.

Lastly: " We have taken action, perhaps not enough , but we have a repatriation agreement with Bangladesh to return the displaced to Burma. How can one speak of genocide in these conditions? Asks Aung San Suu Kyi, who will have taken care to never pronounce the term " Rohingya ".

For her, the exiles are Muslims. No more no less. There is no question of recognizing the specificity, the existence of a Rohingya ethnic group that Burma would have wanted to exterminate.

I regret that The Gambia has presented to the Court a misleading and incomplete picture of the situation in Rakhine State of Burma. It can not be ruled out that, in some cases, members of the military have used disproportionate force, in contradiction with international humanitarian law ... or that they have not made a real distinction between armed rebellion and civilians. But when you examine the actions of those who were fighting this rebellion, keep in mind the complexity of the situation and the risks it poses to our security and sovereignty: in these circumstances, the genocidal intent can not be the only hypothesis. At the end of its constitution, Burma has a military justice system. Cases of possible war crimes committed by soldiers or officers must be judged through this system. To date, no other body can gather as much reliable information on the events that occurred in Arakan in 2017 as the Independent Commission set up by Burma.

Aung San Suu Kyi 11/12/2019 - by RFI Play