Maritime Delimitation in the Indian Ocean (Somalia v. Kenya) - Conclusion of the public hearings held from Monday 15 to Thursday 18 March 2021 - The Court to begin its deliberation

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
Peace Palace, Carnegieplein 2, 2517 KJ The Hague, Netherlands
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Press Release
Unofficial
No. 2021/13
18 March 2021
Maritime Delimitation in the Indian Ocean (Somalia v. Kenya) Conclusion of the public hearings held from Monday 15 to Thursday 18 March 2021 The Court to begin its deliberation
THE HAGUE, 18 March 2021. Public hearings in the case concerning Maritime Delimitation in the Indian Ocean (Somalia v. Kenya) concluded today at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the seat of the Court. The Court will now begin its deliberation.
Oral arguments were presented by the Federal Republic of Somalia on 15 and 16 March 2021. The Republic of Kenya did not participate in the hearings.
The delegation of Somalia was led by H.E. Mr. Mahdi Mohammed Gulaid, Deputy Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia, as Agent.
At the public sitting held today, the Assistant Deputy Agent, Senior Advisor to the President of Somalia, Mr. Mohamed Omar Ibrahim, made the following submissions to the Court on behalf of Somalia:
“On the basis of its Memorial of 7 July 2015, its Reply of 18 June 2018, and its oral pleadings, Somalia respectfully requests the Court:
1. To reject Submissions 1 and 2 of Kenya’s Rejoinder of 18 December 2018.
2. To determine the complete course of the maritime boundary between Somalia and Kenya in the Indian Ocean, including in the continental shelf beyond 200 M, on the basis of international law.
3. To determine the maritime boundary between Somalia and Kenya in the Indian Ocean on the basis of the following geographical coordinates (all points referenced are referred to WGS-84):
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Point No.
Latitude
Longitude
1
(LBT)
1° 39' 44.07" S
41° 33' 34.57" E
2
1° 40' 05.92" S
41° 34' 05.26" E
3
1° 41' 11.45" S
41° 34' 06.12" E
4
1° 43' 09.34" S
41° 36' 33.52" E
5
1° 43' 53.72" S
41° 37' 48.21" E
6
1° 44' 09.28" S
41° 38' 13.26" E
7
(intersection
with 12 M limit)
1° 47' 54.60" S
41° 43' 36.04" E
8
2° 19' 01.09" S
42° 28' 10.27" E
9
2° 30' 56.65" S
42° 46' 18.90" E
10
(intersection
with 200 M limit)
3° 34' 57.05" S
44° 18' 49.83" E
11
(intersection
with 350 M limit)
5° 00' 25.71" S
46° 22' 33.36" E
4. To adjudge and declare that Kenya, by its conduct in the disputed area, has violated its international obligations and is responsible under international law to make full reparation to Somalia, including inter alia by making available to Somalia all seismic, geologic, bathymetric and other technical data acquired in areas that are determined by the Court to be subject to the sovereignty and/or sovereign rights and jurisdiction of Somalia.”
The Court’s decision will be delivered at a public sitting, the date of which will be announced in due course.
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History of the proceedings
The history of the proceedings can be found in press releases Nos. 2014/27, 2017/5, 2020/13, 2021/9, 2021/11 and 2021/12, available on the Court’s website.
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Note: The Court’s press releases are prepared by its Registry for information purposes only and do not constitute official documents.
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The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. It was established by the United Nations Charter in June 1945 and began its activities in April 1946. The Court is composed of 15 judges elected for a nine-year term by the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations. The seat of the Court is at the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands). The Court has a twofold role: first, to settle, in accordance with international law, through judgments which have binding force and are without appeal for the parties concerned, legal disputes submitted to it by States; and, second, to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by duly authorized United Nations organs and agencies of the system.
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Information Department:
Mr. Andrey Poskakukhin, First Secretary of the Court, Head of Department (+31 (0)70 302 2336)
Ms Joanne Moore, Information Officer (+31 (0)70 302 2337)
Mr. Avo Sevag Garabet, Associate Information Officer (+31 (0)70 302 2394)
Ms Genoveva Madurga, Administrative Assistant (+31 (0)70 302 2396)
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