UN Court Awards Disputed Oil-Rich Islands to Equatorial Guinea in Decades-Long Dispute with Gabon

UN Court Awards Disputed Oil-Rich Islands to Equatorial Guinea in Decades-Long Dispute with Gabon

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled in favor of Equatorial Guinea in a territorial dispute with Gabon over three uninhabited islands—Conga, Mbanié, and Cocoteros—located in potentially oil-rich waters off the coast of Central Africa. The ICJ’s decision, delivered at The Hague, upholds Equatorial Guinea’s claim, citing a 1900 treaty between France and Spain that divided colonial possessions in the region. The ruling ends a dispute that has lingered since the early 1970s, threatening bilateral relations between the two nations.

Though the islands are largely uninhabited, the surrounding maritime zone is believed to hold significant hydrocarbon reserves, raising the strategic and economic stakes of the case. The ruling is expected to clarify maritime boundaries and may pave the way for offshore oil exploration and development, pending bilateral cooperation and investment.

Both nations had agreed to submit the matter to the ICJ after years of failed negotiations and mediation by the UN and African Union.

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