Somalia affirms its maritime case against Kenya on course

Somalia has dismissed claims by Kenya that the maritime case it filed with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) lacks legal merit, arguing that it will pursue it to its logical conclusion.

In a response to Kenya’s challenge of the case submitted this week in which Kenya’s Attorney General Githu Muigai said ICJ lacked the jurisdiction over the case, Somali Attorney General Ahmed Ali Dahir said his country was confident the court would competently adjudicate over the matter.

“The objections submitted by Kenya are clearly without merit and the Somali government is confident that the court will reject Kenya’s attempt to deny Justice,” said Dahir In a statement issued in Mogadishu on Saturday

Muigai on Friday was quoted in a section of the Kenyan media, affirming his country’s confidence that the court will reject the case on grounds of inadmissibility.

“Kenya’s contention is that Somalia’s case falls outside the jurisdiction of the Court and is inadmissible because it is contrary to Somalia’s international obligations,” said Muigai.

But in today’s rejoinder, Somalia has accused Kenya of trying to arm twist the court process and evade responsibility of settling the matter as two neighbors.

“The Kenyan government case is to maintain the current the untenable status quo and evade its responsibility to seek a peaceful settlement of this complex maritime dispute between both countries,” added Dahir.

Somalia and Kenya have been in dispute over the maritime border with each filing a different interpretation of the exact border.

Somalia insists the maritime border drops along the line of the land border diagonally to the southeast, but Kenya insists on a straight line to the east.

Somalia last year sought the intervention of the ICJ to determine, on the basis of international law, the complete course of the single maritime boundary dividing all the maritime areas appertaining to Somalia and to Kenya in the Indian Ocean, including the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles.

It also asked the court to determine the precise geographical coordinates of the single maritime boundary in the Indian Ocean.