It is extremely heartening to see that The Gambia continues to stand by Bangladesh on the issue of atrocities committed by the Myanmar forces against its own Rohingya population, and as such, has filed a 500-page memorial -- which also includes more than 5,000 pages of supporting material, in its lawsuit against Myanmar at the ICJ in The Hague.
While the majority of the international community has regrettably remained relatively muted on the killing that the Rohingya faced in Rakhine State, for a nation like The Gambia to speak up and take action is extremely admirable.
Indeed, it is the kind of behaviour that ought to be expected from other more powerful nations and economies; The Gambia’s actions are not based on any motives besides standing up for justice and holding Myanmar accountable for its crimes that it continues to commit against its Muslim minority population.
Since 2017, about a million Rohingya refugees have been calling the camps in Cox’s Bazar home, but refugee camps cannot be the long-term solution for these people, who deserve to go back home and live their lives with dignity and respect as citizens of Myanmar.
Myanmar has repeatedly evaded serious talks of repatriation, while it has simultaneously denied its wrongdoings against the Rohingya and refused to allow serious investigation to uncover the truth.
Thus, the international community must wake up to this grave injustice. The Gambia must be applauded for siding on the side of justice, and we hope that other nations take notice and do their part in holding Myanmar accountable.
