World Court Sets November 19 for Myanmar Rohingya Case Ruling

A date for a long-awaited judgment

November 4, 2026 · 1:38 p.m. Central

The United Nations’ top court says it will deliver its judgment on November 19 in a case brought by The Gambia accusing Myanmar of violating the Genocide Convention in its treatment of the Rohingya minority.

The International Court of Justice announced Tuesday that the decision will be read at a public sitting at 10 a.m. local time in The Hague, Netherlands. The court has not yet announced its judgment on the merits.

The case concerns the responsibility of a state under the genocide treaty. It is separate from criminal cases against individuals.

What the case concerns

The Gambia filed the case in 2019, alleging Myanmar failed to meet its obligations to prevent and punish genocide against the mostly Muslim Rohingya in Rakhine state, according to the U.N.’s Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar.

Myanmar’s 2017 military campaign followed an attack by a Rohingya insurgent group. Security forces faced allegations of killings, sexual violence and the burning of homes, and more than 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh, the Associated Press reported.

Myanmar has denied that the operation amounted to genocide, arguing that it was a response to insurgent attacks, AP reported. The judges must assess the parties’ arguments and the evidence; the scheduled hearing is not itself a finding of responsibility.

What the court can decide

The ICJ settles legal disputes between countries. Unlike the separate International Criminal Court, it does not prosecute individuals. The U.N. investigative mechanism says The Gambia invoked the Genocide Convention’s provision allowing disputes between parties to the treaty to be submitted to the court.

In 2020, the court ordered provisional steps to protect Rohingya and preserve evidence. In 2022, it rejected Myanmar’s preliminary objections to the court’s jurisdiction. Those earlier decisions did not settle the underlying genocide allegations.

Public hearings on the merits ended in January 2026. The coming judgment will address the case after those arguments; its contents remain unknown.

Where the court sits

The star marks the approximate area of The Hague, home to the International Court of Justice. It is not a precise building marker.

Key dates

1. November 11, 2019 — The Gambia files its case against Myanmar.
2. January 23, 2020 — The court orders provisional measures.
3. July 22, 2022 — The court rejects preliminary jurisdiction objections.
4. January 29, 2026 — Public hearings on the merits conclude.
5. November 19, 2026 — Judgment scheduled for 10 a.m. in The Hague.

Sources and visual credits

International Court of Justice: case and announcement · U.N. investigative mechanism: case history · Associated Press: arguments at the court · AFP via Arab News: judgment date.

Visual: conceptual scales and courthouse illustration, not a photograph of proceedings. Map data: OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL.