Somalia ensured calm diplomatic tension with Kenya
The Somali government has moved to calm diplomatic tensions following Kenya's decision to recall its ambassador to Mogadishu and instruct Somalia's ambassador to leave Nairobi. The two counties are embroiled in a dispute over their maritime territorial boundary. The area in question covers an estimated 100,000 square kilometers of the Indian Ocean; the land beneath it purportedly holds large deposits of oil and gas. In a statement issued Sunday evening, the Somali government denied that it had auctioned off exploration rights at a Feb. 7 Somalia oil and gas conference in London, saying it had merely presented maps and seismic surveys . The government also said it would not undertake any other unilateral action in the disputed territory until the case is decided by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague. A court date has not yet been set. On Saturday, Kenya's foreign ministry recalled Ambassador Lucas Tumbo from Mogadishu to Nairobi. The mov