Photo: Credit Twitter Somalia’s Defence team International Court of Justice.
As the first phase of the debate on the maritime border dispute between Somalia and Kenya concluded yesterday, the Somali government commended the lawyers representing the ICJ for presenting their arguments in this case.
Deputy prime minister Mahdi Guled said Somali lawyers representing the court had successfully completed the debate by presenting clear evidence of the legitimacy of Somalia’s case file and international principles related to maritime law. The lawyers also made clear the Kenyan government’s violation of Somalia’s disputed waters.
Somali lawyers said, “I hereby declare to the Somali people that the government and people of Somalia are united in defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Somalia, and I hope that the outcome will be a source of joy for all Somalis.”
That concludes the first round of the Somali maritime boundary debate. When the second round begins, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will decide and inform the Somali delegation.
The Kenyan government did not attend the court and apologized for a number of reasons, but the Somali government believes Kenya is ready to break the law.