Kenya and Somalia failed to reach a resolution during a mediation session brokered by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, leaving their maritime boundary dispute unresolved. The closed-door talks in Nairobi did not produce a joint statement, highlighting lingering tensions over a 100,000-square-kilometre disputed area in the Indian Ocean.
A Somali diplomat confirmed Mogadishu's stance that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) should adjudicate the conflict, rejecting Kenya's preference for an out-of-court settlement. Kenya had previously recalled its ambassador to Somalia in February 2019 after Mogadishu auctioned oil and gas exploration blocks in the contested waters, a move Kenya argued encroached on its maritime territory.
The ICJ has been reviewing Somalia's 2014 claim regarding maritime boundaries since negotiations collapsed. During the March 2019 mediation, Somali President Mohamed Farmaajo and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta agreed to restart diplomatic relations by recalling their envoys, though no formal agreement was reached on the territorial dispute.
Somalia's decision to auction exploration blocks on February 7, 2019, triggered Kenya's diplomatic protest. Nairobi had raised concerns the day before the auction, noting that some blocks fell within its claimed maritime zone. Despite shared efforts against Al-Shabaab militants, the dispute underscores deepening tensions over resource rights in the region.
