The Global South cannot afford to let its maritime border disputes fester

The ocean looks like peace from afar and truth up close, they say. But beneath the waves, the map of the world’s oceans is far less settled than it looks. Today, dozens of sea borders remain unresolved. Like so many conflicts, they owe their origins to complicated questions of where one country’s territory ends, and another’s begins.Many involve overlapping claims to areas rich in resources; and a disproportionate number concern the waters of the Global South. Africa’s coastline is a stark example. The continent has the highest number of unsettled sea boundaries. These disputes are liabilities, and at the worst possible time.The conflict in the Middle East has shaken energy markets around the world but nowhere has been more exposed than the Global South. This vulnerability is why governments in these regions can no longer afford to leave these borders unsettled. As future chokepoints preventing much-needed resource development, they also risk confrontation and create grey zones ripe for illegal fishing.