Kenya, Somalia To Normalise Relations

Somalia and Kenya on Wednesday have agreed to work towards normalizing relations. This will happen without any implications on the maritime border dispute case.

The agreement was reached after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called a tripartite meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Kenya and Somalia have been involved in a maritime border dispute for years. The disputed area is off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. This piece of beachfront covers about 100,000 square km and is rich in oil and other minerals.

Kenya says the boundary should lie parallel to the line of latitude thus marking the land Kenyan territory. Somalia disagrees saying their border extends diagonally to the southeast.

Presidents of Kenya, Egypt and Somalia on the sidelines of the UNGA
Source : the-star.co.ke

Kenya has warned that the decision of ICJ, which is binding on both sides, could offer little room for a win-win solution and hence may sow further political differences.

In their Tuesday meeting, Somalia reportedly said no discussion should be held on the dispute until the case is done.

The International Court of Justice announced that the closure date for the public hearings of the dispute would be November 8.