Kenya should respect a ruling that was on Tuesday, October 12 issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Somalia president Mohamed Farmajo has said.
In a televised speech, Farmajo asked Kenya to respect the international rule of law after the court ruled that Somalia should control most of the parts that Kenya has been claiming for decades.
Mogadishu was handed a part that is known to be rich in oil and gas within the Indian Ocean a move that Nairobi has strongly opposed.
Also Read:
The ruling was a blow to Kenya especially after it was handed a small chunk by the United Nations (UN)'s top court.
“Kenya should see the decision of the court as an opportunity to strengthen the relationship of the two countries,” Farmajo said.
“Since the day I was elected, we have faced political, diplomatic, security and economic pressure by the Kenyan leadership,” he further said, adding that the verdict was a fair indication of the transparency of the court.
In their ruling, the judges unanimously agreed that there was no agreed maritime boundary in place and to that effect they came up with a new border that is close to the one Somalia has been claiming.
The judgement is final and there is no way it can be appealed but the court does not have any means of enforcing its rulings which leaves that matter hanging.
However, now that it is clear that Kenya has said that it does not recognize the ruling, the only option that remains is for Mogadishu to move to the UN Security Council and file a complaint.
Six hours after the ruling was made President Kenyatta said that Kenya will do all it takes to ensure that it protects its boundaries.
Somalia moved to court accusing Kenya of trespassing into its territory in 2014, however, in its argument, Kenya said that it has exercised sovereignty over the area since 1979.
The area in question is believed to be rich in oil and gas and already Kenya had handed exploration rights to Italian energy company ENI.
