The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor’s application to issue an arrest warrant for military coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing circulated among the people of Myanmar as good news. The ICC requested an arrest warrant on 27 November for Min Aung Hlaing regarding the military’s operations in Arakan State in 2017, which involved genocide against the Rohingya people. 1
Although the military council stated that they would not recognize the request because Myanmar is not an ICC member state, 124 countries worldwide accept the ICC court’s jurisdiction. These countries are obligated to follow the court’s decisions, and if the ICC issues an arrest warrant, they must implement it. As for Min Aung Hlaing, he would be unable to travel to these countries. Tomás Quintana, a former UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar and a human rights lawyer, has said that the military council cannot ignore this application. 2
The UK-based Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) issued a statement on 27 November welcoming the arrest warrant application. They also declared their intention to cooperate with the ICC by providing evidence of crimes committed by the Myanmar military under Min Aung Hlaing’s watch. 3
Subsequently, the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) and Amnesty International (AI) separately announced their plans to cooperate with the ICC to help arrest the military coup leader. 4
The G7 foreign ministers from the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom, along with the European Union’s Special Representative, met in Italy on 25 and 26 November. During this meeting, they issued a call urging against providing military and arms support to the Myanmar military.
Furthermore, they demanded a stop to all violence, including aerial attacks that harm civilians in Myanmar. Mr. Michael Dunford has been appointed as the new 5 World Food Programme (WFP) representative in Myanmar. His appointment comes at a critical time for the country, which is facing an increasingly severe humanitarian crisis.
As the new resident representative, he pledged to coordinate with multiple parties to provide emergency assistance to those in need. The WFP announced plans for him to focus on delivering aid to communities in conflict areas, working with regional organizations to provide emergency relief, ensure nutrition, and enhance resilience by 2025. 6
1 ICC prosecutor seeks arrest warrant for military leader, VOA, 27 November 2024
2 Former UN Special Rapporteur supports ICC arrest warrant for Myanmar military leader, VOA, 28 November 2024
3 BROUK welcomes ICC arrest warrant application for military leader Min Aung Hlaing, Mizzima, 28 November 2024
4 IIMM to cooperate with ICC to arrest military leader, VOA, 28 November 2024
5 G7 demands stop to airstrikes and violence in Myanmar, VOA, 27 November 2024
6 New WFP representative to talk with all parties for assistance for Myanmar people, DMG, 20 November 2024