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Kenya recalls Ambassador to Somalia

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5 years ago

February 18, 2019

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Kenya has recalled its Ambassador to Somalia following Mogadishu Government’s decision to auction oil and gas exploration blocks at the centre of a maritime territorial dispute in the Indian Ocean.

National Daily gathered that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague is considering a claim on their maritime boundaries brought by Somalia in 2014 after negotiations over the 100,000 sq. Km stretch of seafloor broke down.

Kenya said it had summoned its Ambassador, Lucas Tumbo, and asked his Somalia counterpart Mohammed Muhamud Nur to return to Mogadishu.

Somalia, which held the auction in London on February 7, did not respond immediately to the new developments.

Kenya said it had raised concerns with the Somali government a day before the auction after it noticed blocks in what it considers to be its maritime territory were included in the auction.

The two states have been co-operating in the long fight against the Al Qaeda-linked, Al Shabaab militants in Somalia. Kenya said the row over maritime territory could jeopardize that.