By KENNEDY SENELWA
The International Court of Justice has fixed timelines for Kenya and Somalia to file initial pleadings for their maritime boundary dispute over oil exploration blocks.
Somalia has laid claim to Kenya’s exploration blocks L-5, L-21, L-22, L-23, L24 and L-25, arguing the border runs continuously from land into the ocean, diagonally from the northwest to the southeast instead of directly east.
Somalia has up to July 13 2015 to file a petition on the delimitation of the Indian Ocean while Kenya has to submit a counter-petition by May 27, 2016.
In a suit against Kenya filed on August 28, Mogadishu wants the ICJ to determine the geographical co-ordinates and single maritime boundary delimiting territorial seas, including the continental shelf beyond the 200 nautical miles limit.
Somalia has appointed Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Abdirahman Dualeh as the agent through whom all court communications can be sent and Elmi Ahmed Duale as deputy agent.
Kenya has appointed its ambassador to the Netherlands Makena Muchiri as agent and Attorney-General Githu Muigai as co-agent.
ICJ president Peter Tomka issued an order of filing memorial on October 16 after hearing the views of the two states on time-limits to prepare first round of written pleadings. A meeting with the parties agents was held on October 15.
Somalia had requested a time-limit of nine months from date of filing of the application for the preparation of the pleadings. Kenya asked for 12 months.
The maritime border dispute over oil and gas exploration blocks between Kenya and Somalia has been simmering for years, with both countries laying claim on a triangle of water stretching for more than 100,000 square kilometres.
The case could decide the fate of oil and gas reserves offshore of East Africa.
East Africa has no shortage full of border disputes as Kenya and Uganda have not resolved their tussle over Migingo Island in Lake Victoria. Malawi and Tanzania are engaged in a dispute over exploration of oil in Lake Malawi.
Source: The East African
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