This archive report was first published on 25 September 2019.
On September 25, 2019, a historic handshake took place between President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya and President Mohammed Farmaajo of Somalia at the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The meeting, facilitated by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, aimed to normalize ties between the two countries, which have been at odds over a maritime border dispute.
According to Somalia, the two presidents agreed to restore good relations without affecting the maritime border case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands.
The dispute, which has been ongoing for years, has significant implications for both countries, with Kenya potentially losing up to 100,000km2 of sea thought to contain huge amounts of hydrocarbons if the court rules in favor of Somalia.
Despite the optimism generated by the handshake, questions remain about the implications of the meeting and whether it will lead to a resolution of the dispute.
