(3 minutes read)
- In a significant development, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled largely in favour of Somalia in its dispute with Kenya
- This, hopefully, draws curtains to a sea boundary dispute between the two countries the Indian Ocean
- However, Kenya earlier said that it would not abide by the ruling of ICJ
In a significant development, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled largely in favour of Somalia in its dispute with Kenya. This, hopefully, draws curtains to a sea boundary dispute between the two countries the Indian Ocean. However, Kenya earlier said that it would not abide by the ruling of ICJ.
The ICJ drew a new boundary, which is mostly in line with the line proposed by Somalia. In the dispute that precipitated between the two countries, Kenya claimed rights over several offshore oil blocks, which were under the geographical jurisdiction of Somalia.
The court found that Kenya had failed to prove there was an established sea boundary between the two states, which would have given it a greater portion of the disputed territory. Earlier, Kenya accused the International Court of Justice of bias and said it would not accept the ruling. The case is about 38,000 sq mile (100,000 sq km) triangle in the Indian Ocean. This region is said to be rich in oil and gas. The ongoing dispute has been a sore throat in the diplomatic relations between the two countries. The decision has gone in favour of Somalia and the ICJ described the decision as equitable. It is important to see how Kenya would respond to the decision, since it has gone largely against the contention. Earlier, it said that it had revoked recognition of the court’s jurisdiction.
