The United Nations’ top court has ruled in favour of Equatorial Guinea in a decades-long territorial dispute with Gabon over three small islands located in potentially oil-rich waters off Central Africa’s coast.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Friday concluded that the islands of Conga, Mbanié and Cocoteros rightfully belong to Equatorial Guinea. The islands, although largely uninhabited, lie in a maritime zone that is believed to contain substantial oil reserves.
The dispute between the two neighbours dates back to the early 1970s. However, tensions escalated in recent decades with the discovery of oil potential in the Gulf of Guinea, increasing the strategic importance of the contested territory.
Equatorial Guinea based its claim on a 1900 treaty between France and Spain, which divided colonial territories in Africa. The ICJ upheld this position, ruling that sovereignty over the islands transferred from Spain to its former colony, Equatorial Guinea, when it gained independence in 1968.
Gabon had argued that a later agreement—the 1974 Bata Convention—effectively transferred the islands to its control. However, the court rejected this claim, finding no sufficient evidence that the treaty altered the original territorial arrangements established in the colonial era.
As part of the binding ruling, Gabon is now required to withdraw its military forces from Mbanié, the largest of the three islands. Gabonese troops seized the island in 1972 after expelling Equatoguinean soldiers and have maintained a military presence there ever since.
The long-standing tension between the two countries eased slightly in 2016 when they agreed to refer the matter to the ICJ for a peaceful resolution. This decision followed years of failed mediation efforts facilitated by the United Nations.
A spokesperson for the Gabonese presidency, Guy Rossatanga-Rignault, acknowledged the court’s decision and emphasized the need for continued dialogue between the neighbouring states. “Gabon and Equatorial Guinea have to live side-by-side, we can’t move away from each other. Therefore we will have to talk it over to solve all these problems,” he said.
Both nations are major oil producers in the Central African region. However, they have faced declining oil output in recent years due to underinvestment, ageing infrastructure, and limited exploration.
The ICJ’s ruling is final and legally binding, offering a decisive resolution to a dispute that has persisted for over five decades. It also sets a precedent for how historical treaties can influence modern territorial claims in post-colonial Africa.
With the court’s decision now settled, the two countries must begin a new chapter in their relations one shaped by diplomacy, cooperation, and mutual economic interest in the Gulf of Guinea’s untapped resources
