World Court to rule on emergency measures in Myanmar genocide case on Jan. 23 - Gambia

The International Court of Justice, the United Nations' highest court, will issue a decision on a request for emergency measures in a genocide case against Myanmar on Jan. 23, the Gambian Ministry of Justice said on Twitter on Monday. The west African country filed the suit in November, alleging Myanmar was committing "an ongoing genocide" against its minority Muslim Rohingya population.

As a first step, Gambia asked the court to order emergency measures to protect the Rohingya and keep the conflict from getting worse. Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has denied genocide and said the U.N. court should not have jurisdiction. She called on the judges to dismiss the accusation of genocide, saying Myanmar's justice system should be given the chance to work first.