Somalia: Maritime case undermines caretaker PM campaign

GAROWE, Puntland- Since the start of Somalia-Kenya maritime lawsuit at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in Natherlands, great attentions has been placed upon TFG officials accused of signing the controversial MoU with Kenya, Garowe Online reports.

Primarily caretaker Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke has found himself at the center of the drawn-out-dispute between Somalia and Kenya at ICJ.

Sharmarke whose then the Prime Minister for the Transitional Federal Government in 2009, endorsed MoU with Kenya to settle boundary dispute and approved by the then TFG President, Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers but rejected by Parliament.  

In a press conference held in Garowe, regional capital of Puntland state, Sharmarke rejected the allegations that TFG ceded territorial boundaries and accused Kenya of taking advantage of the bilateral MoU “extension of continental shelf” to serve its own interests of expanding sea boundaries, on Thursday.        

Sharmarke, who announced earlier that he wants to vie for the presidency in 30 October, accused his rival presidential aspirants of using ongoing maritime case to discredit him and his campaign. “The maritime case is used by rivals to manipulate the public and to serve their political gains,” said Sharmarke.

During hearing procedures at ICJ on Monday, Kenya’s lawyers insisted that Kenya has a valid MoU with Somalia on settling the boundary dispute and objected the court hearing of Somalia’s case.

The controversial MoU instigated heavy criticisms from the public and in the social media calling Sharmarke to suspend his race, citing lack of integrity and competence to run for the highest office in Somalia.

Caretaker Prime Minister, who avoided commenting on the matter since the beginning of the hearing procedures at Hague, said that International lawyers with the support of Norway drafted the MoU and convinced TFG officials to sign the MoU with Kenya to extend the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles.

Somalia will submit its final oral pleading on Friday, thus concluding the second round of court hearing before the ruling of ICJ whether to accept or object Somalia’s case.

GAROWEONLINE