The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday delivered a binding ruling awarding sovereignty over three small islands-Mbanié, Cocotiers, and Conga-in the Gulf of Guinea to Equatorial Guinea, ending a decades-long territorial dispute with neighboring Gabon. The islands lie in potentially oil-rich waters off Gabon's coast and have been a source of tension between the two nations since the early 1970s.
The ICJ based its decision on a 1900 treaty between Spain and France, which delineated colonial territories in West Africa and granted Spain control over the islands. Upon independence in 1968, Equatorial Guinea succeeded Spain’s rights to the islands. The court rejected Gabon's claim relying on a 1974 agreement known as the Bata Convention, ruling it was not a legally binding treaty, especially since Gabon failed to produce an original copy of the document.
Gabon had occupied Mbanié Island militarily since 1972 after expelling Equatorial Guinean forces. The ICJ ruling requires Gabon to withdraw its troops from Mbanié, which is less than one square kilometer in size and largely uninhabited.
The dispute had simmered for decades but reignited with the discovery of significant oil reserves in the surrounding maritime area. Both countries are heavily dependent on oil revenues, making control over these islands strategically and economically important.
The two nations had sought a peaceful resolution through the United Nations, culminating in their 2016 agreement to submit the dispute to the ICJ. The court’s decision brings legal clarity and a framework for future cooperation in the region’s hydrocarbon sector, helping to reduce the risk of conflict.
This ruling marks a significant moment in West African territorial relations, reinforcing the role of international law in resolving complex sovereignty disputes over resource-rich territories.