Kenya and Somalia maritime case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague has been postponed for a third time citing the global Coronavirus pandemic.
The case was scheduled for June 8-12 this year and both parties had been asked to file submissions to allow to enable the case continue without further delays.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, 19th May 2020, ICJ indicated that the case stands postponed citing the Coronavirus pandemic. The court set March 2021 from 15th to 19th as the dates for hearing from both parties and noted that further directives on filing submissions shall be communicated later.
In September last year, the ICJ postponed the case to November quoting overhaul in Kenya’s legal team but the proceeding halted after Kenya also asked for an additional one year for preparations before the commencement of the matter.
There have been concerns on the Kenyan side citing that the court’s President, Abdulqawi Yusuf, a Somali national may be “prejudiced”. Kenya has been lobbying for out of court settlement but Somalia opting a court process at the ICJ.
The maritime dispute has caused diplomatic tensions between the two neighboring countries with intervention of Ethiopian PM to mediate failing to bear fruits. Also, efforts by the African Union through former chairman Abdel Fattah el-Sisi failed to broker a deal between the two countries.
Somalia moved to the ICJ in 2014 after failing to secure a meeting point with Kenya over a 62,000 square miles triangle of disputed maritime territory in the Indian Ocean.
During the UN general assembly in New York last year, Kenya’s President Uhuru seemed to push for a dialogue with Somalia, only for his counterpart Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo to insist that the best arbiter is the court.
Nairobi had accused Mogadishu of bidding for oil blocks along the shores of the Indian Ocean without consultation affecting the diplomatic relation between the two countries.
Somalia dispute the case at the ICJ, about two weeks ago opened bids for seven oil blocks, with the country’s Oil and Natural Resources Minister Ahmed Mohamed insisting the exploration blocks were not along with the contested fields. At least two companies, ExxonMobil and Shell have started joint ventures in Somalia.
This report and many reports on Somalia on this page is not accurate information and does not have reliable sources. Somalia is the only Muslim country in eastern africa surrounded by ultra christian and corrupt countries, supported by powerful allies, Kenya and Ethiopia enjoy the support of Israel, “US” France, UK, UAE. Thanks to Turkey and Erdogan, afrer Seeing this, our Muslim brother has come to our rescue, this muslim country had change the face of our western sanction country over 30 years. We can see democracy and diplomacy taking shape, our president Mohamed abdullahi farmaajo will not give in one inch of our land and resource, because our people will never allow it, corrupt Kenya with its allies will face powerful Somalia in the near future.