The dispute concerned an area of about 100,000 square kilometers with a potentially significant oil and gas deposit. Kenya has already announced in advance that it will not recognize the rulings of the UN tribunal.
Kenya president Uhuru Kenyatta has vehemently objected to the ruling of the UN International Court of Justice on Tuesday, which resolved a years – long maritime dispute largely in favor of Somalia. According to the news agency AFP, Kenya “rejects” the decision in its entirety and does not accept the reasoning of the “biased” verdict.
President of Somalia Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed for its part, he welcomed the decision and hoped it would strengthen the often difficult relations with neighboring countries.
In 2014, Somalia sued Kenya in the International Court of Justice, which has settled about 100,000 square kilometers of sea off the coast of two countries. The area is potentially rich in oil and gas, and is also an important area for fishing.
I dispute at the heart was the angle at which the sea border of the countries begins to be drawn towards the Indian Ocean when the drawing begins at the border on the coast of the countries. Kenya further south hoped that the border would be drawn directly to the east, while Somalia thought the sea border should move southeast at the same angle as the countries ’land border runs along the coast.
The court ended up drawing the line between the two demands, yet in a way that pleased Somalia and angered Kenya.
Kenya has claimed ownership of the disputed maritime area since 1979. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) by Somalia demanded that the court pay Kenya compensation for the unauthorized use of its maritime territory, which, however, was not accepted by the fourteen judges who reached a unanimous decision.
Kenyan The East African magazine by it is now unclear what will happen when Kenya refuses to recognize the court’s decision. The decision is final, but the UN tribunal has no means of enforcing the decision. The decision can no longer be appealed.
Somalia though could take dispute to the UN Security Council for review if Kenya violates a court ruling.
In 2009, Kenya and Somalia agreed that the countries would resolve by negotiating an agreement on their maritime territory. However, five years later, Somalia considered the process a failure and appealed to the UN tribunal. The country was outraged that Kenya had begun granting “illegally” raw material exploration rights to international energy waste to Total and En, The East African says.
Kenya was preparing to lose the story. On Friday last week, the country announced that it would not recognize the court’s decisions at a general level, let alone in a maritime dispute.
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