UN Court Resolves Longstanding Island Dispute Between Equatorial Guinea and Gabon

In a significant legal victory, the International Court of Justice has endorsed Equatorial Guinea's claims over three disputed islands, altering the geopolitical landscape in Central Africa.

In a landmark decision, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), based in The Hague, has ruled in favor of Equatorial Guinea in its long-standing territorial dispute with Gabon over three islands in the Gulf of Guinea—Conga, Mbanié, and Cocoteros. This ruling, which centers around claims tied to a 1900 colonial treaty, could open doors to significant oil exploration in this resource-rich maritime region.

The dispute began in the early 1970s when Gabon established military presence on Mbanié after forcing Equatorial Guinean troops off the island. Gabon’s primary defense in this legal battle was a later treaty from 1974, the Bata Convention, which they argued shifted sovereignty over the islands in their favor.

However, the ICJ firmly rejected this argument, reinforcing Equatorial Guinea's claim of ownership based on historical treaties. The court has now mandated that Gabon must withdraw its military forces from Mbanié, the largest of the islands.

The islands themselves remain largely uninhabited, but their location in a maritime zone believed to be rich in oil deposits has made the stakes high for both nations. Relations between the two countries have been strained especially since the discovery of oil reserves in the region in the early 2000s.

After years of negotiations facilitated by the United Nations, both Equatorial Guinea and Gabon agreed to take their dispute to the ICJ for a resolution in 2016. This ruling serves not only as a resolution of a territorial conflict but as a pivotal moment in the quest for energy resources in Central Africa.