The Kenya-Somalia Maritime Border Dispute Explained

Kenya and Somalia's maritime boundary dispute has become of increasing relevance for geopolitical analysts over recent years. This video explains both side's cases while adding some wider geopolitical context.

*international court of justice not courts

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By GeoVane, formerly AR Global Security and Base Rate (Global Guessing, and Crowd Money).

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Border making is not always a straightforward business - and to some extent this is, and also is not, the case in East Africa between Somalia and Kenya.

Over the past couple of years, the two states have had a rocky relationship, with Somalia cutting off diplomatic ties between the two in December of 2020, accusing Kenya of violating its sovereignty, while citing concerns over alleged Kenyan interference in the state’s internal affairs ahead of its election.

In late 2019, Somalia accused Kenya of destroying mobile network towers on its territory as part of its counterinsurgency effort, and in January of 2020, it also accused Kenya of arming guerilla forces and sending them over the border into its Jubbaland province, where clashes took place around a border village. In March last year, Kenya also accused Somalia of an “unwarranted attack” on a town on its side of the border, during heavy fighting between the Somali government and regional forces, something the state has since denied.

Despite frosty relations in recent times over many issues, at the heart of this East African split has been the two state’s disagreement over where their maritime boundary lays.