The Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia H.E. Omar A. A. Sharmarke welcomes the resolution of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning the Somalia V. Kenya Maritime Delimitation in the Indian Ocean.
“From the onset, we were confident that Somalia would win this case. Today, we celebrate the work of several transitional governments and the current government’s efforts to defend our maritime boundary. This is a collective effort from all involved and a national sovereignty case” said Prime Minister Sharmarke.
“Allow me to commend the excellent legal debates of our lawyers on this important case and remind all Somalis, particularly politicians, that we should sustain the unity of purpose. This court case is a dispute between two nations not between Somalis. The focus should be to win this case and defend our territorial waters. It should not be politicized for short-term political gains. I want to underscore how important that is for us at this historic moment for our nation” continued the Prime Minister.
The Federal Government of Somalia filed the ICJ case asking the court to demarcate the maritime boundary, and to determine the exact geographical coordinates as an extension of our southeastern land borders. The court, in its decision of 02 February 2017 resolved that it would hear the case and demarcate the maritime boundary between Somalia and Kenya. The Prime Minister welcomed the court’s decision, which will be final, and called on Kenya to adhere to the verdict.
