You are here

Top UN court to hear Somalia-Kenya border case in September

Gas, oil reserves found on maritime border

By AFP - Jun 25,2019 - Last updated at Jun 25,2019

THE HAGUE — The UN's highest court on Tuesday set dates to hear a case on a maritime border spat between Kenya and Somalia with possibly lucrative Indian Ocean oil and gas reserves at stake.

The International Court of Justice(ICJ) said back in 2017 it would rule in the dispute and Tuesday scheduled public hearings on the case from September 9 to 13 in The Hague.

Nairobi has argued that the court does not have jurisdiction in the case brought by Somalia in 2014 but it was overruled.

Mogadishu's case focuses on an attempt to redraw the sea border which would affect at least three of Kenya's 20 offshore oil blocks.

The disputed region covers more than 100,000 square kilometres where Kenya has already granted exploration permits for three oil blocks to Italian firm ENI SpA, a move the Somalis are contesting.

Somalia, which lies north of Kenya, wants to continue the frontier along the line of the land border, in a southeast direction.

But Kenya says the border should head out to sea in a straight line east, along the parallel of latitude, giving it more sea territory.

In February, Somalia rejected a Kenyan claim that it had auctioned off blocks in the area and said it would not take any unilateral action there prior to an ICJ ruling.

The disputed triangle of water is believed to hold valuable deposits of oil and gas in a part of Africa only recently found to be sitting on significant reserves.

Nairobi maintains it has had sovereignty over the contested zone since 1979.

Somalia took the matter to court after saying diplomatic attempts to resolve the disagreement had led nowhere. 

A final outcome will significantly impact a new source of revenue for either of the east African neighbours — but the case is set to last for several years.

up
52 users have voted.


Newsletter

Get top stories and blog posts emailed to you each day.

PDF