The dispute between Kenya and Somalia is rooted in a disagreement over which direction the two countries' border extends into the Indian Ocean. . Flexing its muscles on October 12, 2021, the United Nations (UN)'s judicial organ, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), ruled in favour of Somalia over Kenya in a long-running maritime border dispute spanning over 100,000 square kilometres of the Indian Ocean. Un Court Decision A Fresh Test For Kenya-somalia Ties The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the ruling set for Tuesday next week will be "a culmination of a flawed judicial process that Kenya has had reservations with." Kenya insists that the matter should only be resolved through amicable negotiations. The dispute between Kenya and Somalia began in the late 2000s when Kenya tried to impose a shared maritime border on Somalia that was similar to its own southern border with Tanzania. Somalia Asks Kenya to Accept ICJ's Ruling on Maritime Border Dispute: "We Have No Option" As a result, the ICJ ruled that there was no de facto maritime border between the two countries, setting a new border that cuts through the disputed area (100,000 square kilometres). KENYA SOMALIA DISPUTE OVER MARITIME BORDER LINE. Kenya and Somalia's maritime dispute: One winner, two ... Diplomatic ties between Kenya and Somalia are generally strong but the maritime despite risks spilling over into other key interests for both countries. UN high court rules for Somalia in maritime border dispute with Kenya. Above, the U.N. International Court of Justice in The Hague on January . The International Court of Justice on 12 October handed down a decision mostly upholding Somalia's claims in a long-running maritime border dispute with Kenya. An ongoing maritime border dispute between Somalia and Kenya has placed pressure on bilateral ties between the two countries since 2014 and threatened security in the Horn and East African regions. Kenya will not take part in Monday's hearings over its maritime border dispute with Somalia at the International Court of Justice, government sources have told the BBC. Somalia comes out on top in sea border dispute with Kenya ... From UPSC perspective, the following things are important : In a move that is set to further undermine stability in East Africa, Kenya has said that it will not take part in proceedings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its maritime border dispute with neighbouring Somalia. Somalia argues that the maritime boundary should continue on in the same direction as the land border's southeasterly path. UN Court Decision a Fresh Test for Kenya-Somalia Ties. The two countries agreed in 2009 to settle their dispute through bilateral negotiations [File: Noor Khamis/Reuters] Kenya has said it rejected the jurisdiction of the United Nations International. The Horn of Africa neighbours have been feuding for years over a stretch of the Indian Ocean claimed by both nations that is believed to hold deposits of oil and gas. Abstract. Link copied. Main point of Disagreement - Two neighbours is the direction in which their maritime boundary in the Indian Ocean should extend. The International Court of Justice primarily sided with Somalia in a dispute with neighboring Kenya over a maritime boundary. In contrast, Kenya claims the border should take a roughly 45-degree turn at the shoreline and run in a latitudinal line. Somalia's president said in a speech that the ICJ's ruling on the border dispute with Kenya is an opportunity for the . October 12, 2021. Oct. 12, 2021. Somalia claims the maritime border has to run as an extension of the land border, whereas Kenya claims the maritime border should follow the latitude lines. The UN's top court has ruled largely in favour of Somalia in its long-running dispute with Kenya over their maritime border. Kenya pulled out of the proceedings at the last minute and has already announced it won't accept the verdict. Although Kenya had withdrawn from the case recently accusing ICJ of bias, the court went on to deliver a detailed judgment, in which Somalia . On Tuesday, US Ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter said Washington has urged Somalia to drop its case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to give room for negotiations between the two countries. Elections in Somalia's regional states are going on at the moment, ahead of a presidential poll in 2020. Somalia sued Kenya at the International Court of Justice for unlawful operations in its maritime territory along the Indian Ocean. Kenya and Somalia maritime border dispute to 'Escalate' despite the UN high court verdict that will be released today Summary. Let us follow these events chronologically. Oil & Gas: An Equidistant Line Could Settle Somalia-Kenya Maritime Dispute. Kenya should recognise Somalia's sovereignty over the disputed maritime triangle in exchange for an agreement for the two countries to share equally in perpetuity the triangle's resources. Kenya and Somalia have been involved in a court battle since 2014 over where each country's border in the Indian Ocean starts and ends. Kenya rejects ICJ ruling over maritime border dispute with Somalia Wednesday October 13, 2021 Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta has slammed a ruling by the UN's top court to hand Somalia control of most of a potentially oil and gas-rich chunk of the Indian Ocean following a bitter row between the two countries. The International court of Justice is set to solve the dispute between Kenya and Somalia by giving a verdict today. It will be decided once and for all which country rightfully controls the small but resource-rich section of the sea being contested. Kenya has already deployed Italian companies to explore the region. The ICJ's ruling mostly gave Somalia control of the contested area, however Nairobi has rejected the court's judgement. Somalia argues its maritime boundary should run in the same direction as the southeasterly path of the country's land border. Disputed area. Maritime border dispute between Kenya and Somalia. The ongoing maritime boundary dispute between Kenya and Somalia over 62,000 square miles of maritime territory is awaiting determination by the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Kenya abruptly pulled out of the proceedings, days before they were set to start on Monday, claiming . Last Thursday, August 28, Somalia officially took a long festering maritime border dispute with neighboring Kenya to the International Court of Justice in the Hague. 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