New twist in border case as Kenya calls for delay

Kenya has once again returned to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) demanding a one-year extension for the final hearing of its maritime boundary dispute with Somalia, officials said.

The UN’s highest court is expected to issue its decision on Kenya’s new request, the second in as many months, next week. Somalia swiftly rejected Nairobi’s application, saying last month’s 55-day delay should take care of Kenya’s needs to constitute a legal team.

“We insisted that we won’t accept an extension beyond the fourth of November,” Somalia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Gulaid told his country’s national TV while standing in front of the court’s building in The Hague.

Last week, the court invited representatives from Kenya and Somalia to a meeting to hear their views on the new development before the judges make a ruling.

Kenya’s request comes barely a month after the court delayed a scheduled hearing of the case by nearly two months, from September 9 to November 4.

If the court rules in Kenya’s favour, it will offer the country the one-year window it requested.

The case has strained the already frosty relationship between Kenya and Somalia, making any attempts at an out-of-court settlement nearly impossible.