Somali lawmakers in the capital Mogadishu have rejected a controversial maritime boundary deal signed between the governments of Somalia and Kenya.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which was signed last April in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, attempts to set a maritime boundary on the Outer Limits of the Continental Shelf between the two East African neighbors.
But the MoU has been at the center of debate since it was signed by Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula and Somali International Cooperation Minister Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame.
On Saturday, 347 Somali lawmakers were present at parliament hall in Mogadishu where the debate was focused on the MoU. Most MPs gave heated speeches rejecting the deal, but some lawmakers suggested that an independent committee be established to study the MoU.
Sheikh Aden "Madobe" Mohamed, the Speaker of parliament, then asked the lawmakers to vote on the MoU, which he described an “understanding� and therefore not an agreement.
"There were 347 Members of Parliament present and 334 MPs rejected the Understanding,"Speaker Madobe announced.
MP Ahmed Abdi later told Puntland-based Radio Garowe that Somali lawmakers rejected the MoU because "we felt that our [Somali] sovereignty was being violated."
Other lawmakers expressed their disappointment with International Cooperation Minister Abdirahman Abdishakur Warsame for being absent during parliament’s deliberations.