The Somalia government has issued a statement in the wake of an escalating maritime border row with Kenya.
Somalia has denied claims that it had auctioned controversial oil and gas blocks which are located in a contested Maritime border in the Indian Ocean.
“Somalia is not now offering, nor does it have any plans to offer, any blocks in the disputed maritime area until the parties’ boundary is decided by the ICJ,” read the statement.
Somalia also explained that the supposed auction only sold data for the benefit of companies interested in the gas and oil fields once the dispute is resolved.
This comes as the Kenyan Government on February 16 issued a strongly worded statement in which it declared Somalia an enemy state for reportedly auctioning the oil and gas blocks falling within the Kenyan maritime territory near its border in early February.
The decision to auction the blocks was an “outrageous and a provocative act of aggression which would be met with unanimous and resounding rejection by all Kenyans and people of good will who believe in the maintenance of international law and order and peaceful and legal resolution of disputes,” read the Kenyan Foreign affairs ministry statement.
Kenya wants the dispute be resolved through negotiations after Somalia took to the ICJ following unsuccessful negotiations with Kenya.