{{Somalia Cabinet has announced a new territorial waters boundaries that could put it on a collision cause with Kenya.}}
A Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon Thursday supported a 2009 parliamentary decision, revoking a Memorandum of Understanding between Kenya and Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government.
“The government reiterates its support for the Transitional Federal Government Parliament’s decision of 1 August 2009 calling ‘null and void’ the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the TFG Minister of International Cooperation and Kenyan Minister of Foreign Affairs signed in Nairobi on 7 April 2009,” said a statement released in Mogadishu.
The Mogadishu meeting defined the boundary with Kenya as a line lying at a right angle as opposed to the latter’s envisaged a diagonal delineation.
Further, the press release said on March 12, 2010, the United Nations stated that the 2009 MOU was to be considered “non-actionable” because it had been rejected by the Somali Parliament.
“The government’s position is Somali Law No. 37 on the Territorial Sea and Ports, signed on 10 September 1972, which defines Somali territorial sea as 200 nautical miles and continental shelf.”
On July 24, 1989 Somalia ratified the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
As a result, the document stated: “The Federal Government of Somalia does not consider it appropriate to open new discussions on maritime demarcation or limitations on the continental shelf with any parties.”
Nevertheless, the Cabinet underlined that the Somali government was committed to strong bilateral relations with Kenya and looked forward to working with the government of President (Uhuru) Kenyatta on a number of issues, including the safe repatriation of refugees from Kenya and improving border security.
The aforementioned MOU has been been controversial in Somalia ever since it was signed in April 2009.
NMG
Leave a Reply