The International Court of Justice (ICJ), located in The Hague, Netherlands, ruled in favor of Equatorial Guinea regarding a long-standing dispute with Gabon over three islands in an area believed to be rich in oil deposits. The islands in question—Conga, Mbanié, and Cocoteros—have been at the heart of tensions between the two neighboring Central African nations since the 1970s. The court affirmed that Equatorial Guinea's claim to the islands, rooted in a 1900 treaty that divided colonial assets between France and Spain, should take precedence over Gabon's arguments, which were based on a 1974 treaty.
UN Court Rules in Favor of Equatorial Guinea in Longstanding Gabon Dispute Over Oil-Rich Islands
UN Court Rules in Favor of Equatorial Guinea in Longstanding Gabon Dispute Over Oil-Rich Islands
The International Court of Justice has delivered a decisive ruling favoring Equatorial Guinea in its territorial dispute with Gabon over three uninhabited islands.
The ICJ's final and binding ruling confirmed that the islands were initially Spanish territories and passed to Equatorial Guinea upon its independence in 1968. As a consequence of this decision, Gabon is now required to withdraw its military personnel from Mbanié, the largest island. This territory had been under Gabonese military control since 1972 after it displaced Equatoguinean forces. The relationship between the two nations had normalized until the early 2000s when oil exploration revived the dispute. A long-term agreement reached in 2016 allowed the ICJ to intervene and resolve the matter peacefully.
The outcome of this ruling illustrates the complexities of colonial-era treaties and their lasting implications on modern territorial disputes, especially in regions abundant in natural resources.
The outcome of this ruling illustrates the complexities of colonial-era treaties and their lasting implications on modern territorial disputes, especially in regions abundant in natural resources.
