Zimbabwe Votes against U.N. Resolution on Rohingya Persecution Case

Zimbabwe has voted against the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA resolution on the Myanmar persecution of Rohingya Muslims.

The landlocked Southern African country was the only African country to vote against the United Nations resolution in what turned out to be majority support for the U.N. General Assembly resolution.

The resolution, "Situation of Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar" was passed overwhelmingly with 134 countries in favour as against nine in opposition and 28 abstentions.

Others who voted against were: Belarus, Cambodia, China, Lao, Myanmar, Philippines, Russia and Vietnam. 

Interestingly, several African countries abstained from the vote, amongst who were: Cameroon, Burundi, Eritrea, Kenya, Namibia, Lesotho and Zambia.

In November last year, The Gambia filed a case in the International Court of Justice, ICJ, against Myanmar. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, OIC.

The Gambia received commendations from many quarters for its decision and boldness to file the petition.

According to reports, Myanmar's military began a harsh counterinsurgency campaign against the Rohingya minority in August 2017 in response to an insurgent attack. 

As a result, more than 700,000 Rohingya fled to neighbouring Bangladesh to escape what has been called an ethnic cleansing campaign involving mass rapes, killings and burning of their homes.

The head of a U.N. fact-finding mission on Myanmar warned in October last year that "there is a serious risk of genocide recurring." The team also said in its final report in September that Myanmar should be held responsible in international legal forums for alleged genocide against the Rohingya.

The case filed at the International Court of Justice, also known as the world court, alleges that Myanmar's campaign against the Rohingya includes "killing, causing serious bodily and mental harm…

"… inflicting conditions that are calculated to bring about physical destruction, imposing measures to prevent births, and forcible transfers, are genocidal in character because they are intended to destroy the Rohingya group in whole or in part."

The 2016 Rohingya persecution in Myanmar occurred in late 2016 when Myanmar's armed forces and police started a significant crackdown on Rohingya people in Rakhine State in the country's northwestern region.

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Header Image Credit: RNS