The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled on Monday that Equatorial Guinea holds a legal claim to a group of small islands in the Gulf of Guinea, resolving a long-standing dispute with neighboring Gabon.
In its final ruling, the World Court sided with Equatorial Guinea, affirming its claim to the islands based on a 1900 convention that divided colonial territories between French and Spanish powers in West Africa. The court stated that Gabon’s 1974 agreement, which formed the basis of its claim to the islands, could not be regarded as a legally binding treaty.
“The title that has the force of law regarding sovereignty over the islands is the title held by the Kingdom of Spain on 12 October 1968, to which the Republic of Equatorial Guinea succeeded,” the court said.
As a result of the ruling, Gabon will be required to withdraw its military forces from Mbanié, a small island just under a kilometer long off Gabon’s coast. Gabon had driven Equatorial Guinea’s soldiers from Mbanié in 1972 and established its own military presence on the island, which covers only 74 acres (30 hectares).
The dispute over Mbanié, along with the nearby islands of Cocotiers and Conga, remained dormant until the early 2000s, when the discovery of potential oil reserves reignited interest. After years of negotiations led by the United Nations, the two oil-producing nations agreed in 2016 to have the World Court settle the dispute.