Over 730,000 Rohingyans were forced to flee when Myanmar's government launched a military offensive in the state of Rakhine in 2017.

The UN Court of Justice ICJ went on the Gambia's line that the Rohingya should be protected during the trial.

It is Gambia, whose population is largely Muslim, which has initiated the trial. In its notification to the UN agency ICJ in The Hague, the West African country wants to find that Myanmar (Burma) violated the 1948 Genocide Convention.

Difficult conditions

More than 730,000 people from the Muslim minority group Rohingya were forced to flee when the government offensive began in the state of Rakhine. Many fled to neighboring Bangladesh's largest refugee camp Cox's Bazar, where they are still living in difficult conditions.

An expert panel appointed by the Myanmar government on Monday concluded that it had found no evidence of abuse. However, leaders of Rohingya believe that the study aimed to cleanse Myanmar.

The Gambia wanted the ICJ in its initial decision to order Myanmar to protect the Rohingy and that the country was forced to preserve evidence of committed abuses.

Black reputation

The once-acclaimed Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has, since taking office as Myanmar's head of government, made her reputation increasingly worse. Aung San Suu Kyi has been accused of being passive to the military's harsh treatment of Rohingy and for dismissing the criticism of the outside world. The military has claimed that it has defended itself against terrorists and that the responsibility for the violence lies with guerrilla movements.

In a Financial Times debate article today, Aung San Suu Kyi writes that Rohingya refugees exaggerated their stories of the abuses. She writes that Myanmar is a victim of "unfounded statements" from the UN and human rights organizations.