RUCCI
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- Oct 6, 2011
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The government has assured Tanzanians that there is no need to panic over risk of losing Pemba Island to Kenya following a case filed by Somalia at The International Court of Justice (ICJ) seeking a review of its Indian Ocean border with Kenya.
Senior spokesperson at the ministry of Foreign Affairs Mkumbwa Ali told The Citizen on Monday that the case was a new development.
We are following the development of the case. It is too early to react but one thing is clear that we will keep protecting our territorial sovereignty, he said. Over the weekend, a Kenyan paper, the Sunday Nation reported that Mogadishu filed the case at the ICJ and if it was to be ruled in favour of the war-torn country the East African coastal borders would have to be redrawn.
A victory for Somalia would mean that the war-torn countrys maritime boundary would stretch downwards all the way to Tanzanias shores.
Alarmed by the grave implications of the move by its war-torn neighbour, Kenya has already reopened negotiations with Somalia over its claim to a huge swathe of maritime territory considered rich in oil deposits and fish, which Kenyas ministry of Foreign Affairs says could effectively land-lock the country.
On Saturday, Kenyas Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade Amina Mohammed told the Sunday Nation the matter was so sensitive that a quick meeting to facilitate direct talks between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Somalia counterpart Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has been arranged in New York.
We are in discussions with the government of Somalia. It is unfortunate they lodged their complaints even as we dialogued over this matter, Ms Mohammed said.
Source: The Citizen
Govt quells panic on âlossâ of Pemba - National - thecitizen.co.tz
Senior spokesperson at the ministry of Foreign Affairs Mkumbwa Ali told The Citizen on Monday that the case was a new development.
We are following the development of the case. It is too early to react but one thing is clear that we will keep protecting our territorial sovereignty, he said. Over the weekend, a Kenyan paper, the Sunday Nation reported that Mogadishu filed the case at the ICJ and if it was to be ruled in favour of the war-torn country the East African coastal borders would have to be redrawn.
A victory for Somalia would mean that the war-torn countrys maritime boundary would stretch downwards all the way to Tanzanias shores.
Alarmed by the grave implications of the move by its war-torn neighbour, Kenya has already reopened negotiations with Somalia over its claim to a huge swathe of maritime territory considered rich in oil deposits and fish, which Kenyas ministry of Foreign Affairs says could effectively land-lock the country.
On Saturday, Kenyas Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade Amina Mohammed told the Sunday Nation the matter was so sensitive that a quick meeting to facilitate direct talks between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Somalia counterpart Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has been arranged in New York.
We are in discussions with the government of Somalia. It is unfortunate they lodged their complaints even as we dialogued over this matter, Ms Mohammed said.
Source: The Citizen
Govt quells panic on âlossâ of Pemba - National - thecitizen.co.tz