This archive report was first published on 13 October 2021.
On October 13, 2021, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled largely in favour of Somalia in its dispute with Kenya, setting a sea boundary in part of the Indian Ocean.
The court's decision attributed several offshore oil blocks claimed by Kenya to Somalia, largely following a line proposed by the East African nation.
Kenya, however, secured some territory beyond the Somalia proposal, but failed to prove the existence of an established sea boundary between the two states, which would have given it a greater portion of the disputed territory.
President Uhuru Kenyatta rejected the ICJ's verdict in a four-page statement, stating, "At the outset, Kenya wishes to indicate that it rejects in totality and does not recognize the findings in the decision."
Kenya's rejection of the ruling is expected to strain relations between the two east African neighbours, who have been embroiled in a diplomatic row over the dispute.
The case concerned a 38,000 sq mile (100,000 sq km) triangle in the Indian Ocean thought to be rich in oil and gas.
