Somalia deputy prime Minister Mahdi Mohammed Gulaid has announced that the International Court of Justice will render its judgment on the maritime case between Kenya and Somalia in October this year.
In a brief statement on his official social media, Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi shared this news.
“Praise to Allah, I’m happy to announce and share the good news with Somalis that ICJ will render its judgment on the maritime case between Kenya and Somalia on 12th October 2021.
Somalia took Kenya to the International Court of justice to have the maritime squabble resolved in court.
The disputed area stretches over 160,580 square kilometers (62,000 square miles). Somalia, which lies Northeast of Kenya, wants to extend her maritime frontier with Kenya along the line of the land border, in a southeasterly direction. Kenya, however, wants the border to head out to sea in a straight easterly line, which would give it more maritime territory as well as serve as an important fish
The dispute stems from conflicting interpretations of scholars and experts of how boundaries should extend into the Indian Ocean. Somalia’s claim is that its southern boundary should run south-east as an extension of the land border. Kenya’s contention is that Somalia’s border should take a roughly 45-degree turn at the shoreline and run in a latitudinal line.
Amid diplomatic contestations between the two, the court process has dragged on for almost seven years. In March 2020, Kenya announced that it would no longer participate in the court proceedings. Nairobi has protested against perceived bias in the court’s refusal to entertain its request to delay the hearings.
Kenya withdrew from the case pleading that the Covid-19 pandemic struck when it had just recruited a new legal team to mount its defence. The team had not had a chance to meet and prepare for the case due to coronavirus protocols and guidelines. The court however rejected the request by Kenya claiming Covid-19 had adversely impacted on its preparations for the case.
Kenya was pushing for a “diplomatic solution” but Somalia refused as it has done for years. It remains to be seen whether the diplomatic route is feasible amid the constant seesaw of diplomatic ties. After a six-month break in relations, both countries are on talking terms again and closed missions are set to be reopened.
The Somali government led by President Mohamed Abdullahi Famajo is opposed to this Kenyan position and believes that Somalia can only get justice from the International Court of Justice.
Kenya claimed that there are third parties with commercial interests who are interested in the case. It claims these parties are pushing Somalia to carry on with the case even though it threatens to destabilise the peace and security of an already fragile region.
Kenya has on several occasions severed its ties with Somalia in an attempt aimed to woo the Horn of Africa Nation to give up on the case and let diplomatic talks to resolve the maritime spat creep in.
