Top court of the United Nations has supported on May 19 Equatorial Guinea in a dispute with Gabon over three islands in potentially oil-rich waters.
Since the early 1970s, the two Central African nations have been at odds over the islands of Conga, Mbanié, and Cocoteros. Despite being in a maritime area believed to have substantial oil deposits, the islands are essentially uninhabited. Equatorial Guinea’s claim, which is based on a treaty from 1900 that divided up the colonial assets of France and Spain, should be honored, according to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The court rejected Gabon’s main contention, which was that the islands’ sovereignty had been shifted in its favor by a more recent agreement known as the 1974 Bata convention. Conga, Mbanié, and Cocoteros were held by Spain before being transferred to Equatorial Guinea, which became independent in 1968, according to the International Court of Justice’s final and binding ruling.Now, Gabon will have to evacuate its troops from the largest island, Mbanié.
The Gabonese army established its own military presence in Mbanié in 1972 after driving Equatoguinean troops out. When the possibility of oil in the Gulf of Guinea became clear in the early 2000s, hostilities subsided. After years of UN mediation, the two countries decided to let the ICJ decide the case in 2016. Both nations produce a sizable amount of oil. However, because of underinvestment, a lack of exploration, and aging wells, their oil production has decreased recently.