Somalia files response at ICJ over sea boundary row with Kenya

HAGUE, Netherlands - Somali government says it has submitted its response in the maritime dispute case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in Hague, the Netherlands on Monday, June 18, Garowe Online reports.

The Attorney General, Ahmed Ali Dahir said the Federal Government of Somalia has succeeded to tender the reply in the maritime delimitation in the Indian Ocean case at ICJ before the deadline expires.

Dahir added that Ali Said Faqi, Somalia's Ambassador to the EU has made the submission of the written answer with geographical, seismic data verifying the case on behalf of the Government.

"I was present at the submission of Somalia's reply in the maritime delimitation in the Indian Ocean between Somalia and Kenya at ICJ in the Hague city," said Dahir in a Twitter post.

The move came after Kenya had submitted its response to the ICJ in the same case.

Somalia sued Kenya in August 2014 over the oil-rich ocean, saying it will never accept Kenya’s efforts to seize part of its maritime boundary even if the country has been in anarchy for more than two decades.

For years, Kenya has been arguing that the two East African countries had in 2009 signed a MoU, agreeing to settle the sea boundary row issue out of the court.

In 2017, Somalia won the first round maritime case against Kenya before the Hague-based ICJ as the country hired a team of international lawyers to defend its maritime boundary and EEZ.

The contested area in the maritime border dispute is about 100,000km2 that is said to be rich in natural resources such as Gas, Oil, and Fish. The rift arose in 2009 and has been the talking point since then.

Somali officials say the onshore border continues into the ocean diagonally southeast and that a horizontal border would be unfair. 

The standoff threatened to upend some exploration permits that Kenya granted to Oil and Gas companies, which have already started exploring in the zone.

GAROWE ONLINE