The Influence of Cross-border Dispute in Peace and Security in the Horn of Africa Region: a Case Study of Kenya - Somalia Maritime Dispute

Abstract

The study centers around the issue of maritime border disputes, providing a significant challenge in the field of international law. Many nations are increasingly prioritising the demarcation of their marine boundaries in order to access and utilise their natural resources for financial benefit. The study aims at analysing the influence of cross-border disputes between nations in the Horn of Africa, specifically focusing on the Kenya-Somalia dispute over the maritime border. The concepts deliberated herein may function as definitive guidelines to other nations that possess contiguous coastlines. With a focus on the maritime border dispute between Somalia and Kenya, the study's primary objective was to investigate and examine the influence of cross border disputes in international border disputes in the Horn of Africa. Secondly, it was to investigate the strategies being used to settle the Somalia - Kenya dispute over their marine borders, and finally, debate the impediments faced in resolving the maritime border dispute between Kenya and Somalia which are the three other objectives that the study examined. The goal of the study was to analyze the theories and presumptions around knowledge gaps in academic explanations and policy. The investigation's analytical basis was Anarchic Theory. The research design, data collection strategies, research site, data type, sample size, data processing methods, constraints, and ethical issues were all included in the research methodology. To maximize the research results, a practical approach was used in the research design. The Somalia Embassy in Kenya, Lamu County, military personnel stationed in ATMIS, Kenya Navy officials in charge of the border waters and the Kenyan Coast, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kenya) were among the locations where data was gathered. A combination of primary and secondary methods were used to acquire data. Interviews and questionnaires were used to collect and analyze data, namely through the gathering and examination of narratives. The research indicates that the maritime border disputes in the Horn of Africa is impacted by a number of factors, such as state sovereignty, competition for maritime resources, migration and population growth, market pressures from environmental changes, socioeconomic shifts, and increased commercialization. The report also reveals that there are policy frameworks in place to aid in the handling and settlement of problems pertaining to maritime borders. The aforementioned entities encompass the United Nations Conventions on the Law of the Sea, the African Union, the Eastern Africa Community, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, Kenya's and Somalia's foreign policies, and their diplomatic ties. The study revealed the primary difficulties encountered in resolving the disagreement over Kenya and Somalia's marine border. Such challenges encompass geopolitical and socioeconomic ramifications, the vested interests of other parties involved, the historical legacy of colonial borders on the African continent, the global interests of numerous parties, and the effect of colonial borders in determining the issue. The study yielded noteworthy results, conclusions, and suggestions that assist scholars and policymakers in comprehending the topic more thoroughly