On Tuesday, the United Nations’ top court decided mostly in Somalia’s favor in its dispute with Kenya, establishing a sea boundary in an area of the Indian Ocean thought to be rich in oil and gas.
The International Court of Justice drew a new border that generally followed a line offered by Somalia and attributed to it many offshore oil blocks disputed by Kenya.
Judge Joan Donoghue stated that the new maritime border along the exclusive economic zones for the continental shelves of Somalia and Kenya “achieves a fair solution.”
Kenya had failed to prove that there was an established sea boundary between the states, despite securing some territory beyond the Somalia proposal.
The ruling comes after Nairobi last week said it had revoked recognition of the court’s jurisdiction. No one for Kenya was officially presented either in court or via video link.
Somalia filed the case in 2014 at the United Nations’ highest court for disputes between states.
The case at the ICJ, also known as the World Court, concerned a boundary dispute over more than 100,000 sq km (nearly 40,000 sq miles) of seafloor claimed by both countries.
