File Photo/Somali Times
Somalia President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo says Somalia has accepted the ICJ ruling in the Somalia-Kenya maritime case today, Farmajo also called on the Kenyan government to accept the court’s decision and refrain from hiding and disrupting our seas.
President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo said he hopes the court ruling will turn a new chapter in relations between the two countries, and that they will now live in good neighborliness and mutual respect.
”The Somali government reaffirms its commitment to the court’s decision, and we hope that our neighboring government, Kenya, upholds the rule of law, does not abandon its misguided ambitions, and instead sees the court’s decision as an opportunity to strengthen relations and cooperation between the two brotherly countries,” said Farmajo.
President Farmajo also called on the Kenyan people to put pressure on their government to live in peace in the region, turning a blind eye to terrorism and any threats to regional security.
Somalia has won most of the maritime dispute with Kenya this afternoon, with most of the disputed territories adjudicated, according to the International Court of Justice.
The court initially rejected Kenya’s argument that there was an agreement between the two countries that there was a border between Somalia and Kenya along the long line, and supported Somalia’s argument that there was no such agreement.
The court then accepted Somalia’s request to decide the maritime border between the two countries, and the ICJ upheld Somalia’s argument that the demarcation should be based on a straight line along the maritime boundary.
As can be seen in the picture below, most of Kenya’s claimed territories have been rejected, but a few have also been excluded from Somalia’s claimed territories, starting after the 12-mile direct line to the land border, and 12 a mile later the line is slightly curved towards Somalia.