Hearing of Somalia-Kenya maritime dispute case to open at ICJ

The International Court of Justice will open the first session of hearing the case of the maritime border dispute between Somalia and Kenya next week, Somali government official told RBC.

The hearing will take place in the court’s headquarters in The Hague where Somali Government has filed its complaints against Kenya’s motive to take part of Somalia’s maritime boundary.

“The hearing will commence on next week as there are international lawyers helping Somalia to defend its legal borders against Kenya.” Abdi Hassan, of Somalia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said.

Somali Government said it will never accept Kenya’s efforts to sieze part of the nation’s boundary even if the country has been in anarchy for more than two decades.

Last week President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has mentioned that despite Kenya’s attempt to claim 150kms of Somalia’s maritime boundary, which his government will continue to defend for Somalia’s maritime in a legal and civilized manner in front of international justice.

Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Amina Mohammed said Saturday that her country would prefer to settle the dispute out of court, adding that Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud will meet in New York during the UN General Assembly next week to sort out the issue.

Meanwhile Kenyan officials said on Wednesday that they hired a team of international lawyers to defend its claim to seize the maritime boundary of Somalia.

Both Somalia and Kenya are claiming a patch of about 1000 km that is said to be rich in natural resources such as Gas, Oil and Fish. The dispute arose in 2009 and has been the talking point since then. In 2011, Kenyan troops crossed into Somalia following a spate of attacks and kidnappings in the coast region. Kenya blamed al-Shabaab for the attacks and sought to launch attacks inside Somalia.