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After More Than Half a Century of Impasse, the International Court of Justice Recognized the Right of Equatorial Guinea Over the Islands Mbanié, Cocotiers and Conga. The Decision, Based on Colonial Treaties and Historical Legal Documents, Ends One of the Longest Territorial Disputes in West Africa Involving Strategic Areas in the Gulf of Guinea
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), of the UN, ruled in favor of Equatorial Guinea in a territorial dispute with Gabon. The case involved three small islands located in a potentially oil-rich area in the Gulf of Guinea. The decision ends an impasse that has lasted more than fifty years.
The islands Mbanié, Cocotiers and Conga have been the subject of dispute between the two West African nations since the 1970s. Mbanié is approximately 30 hectares, and the other two islets are even smaller.
Although uninhabited, these formations are located in a strategic region, close to reserves of oil and gas. Mbanié is about 10 kilometers from the coast of Equatorial Guinea and 20 kilometers from the coast of Gabon.
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The dispute has its roots in a colonial treaty signed in 1900 by France and Spain. This agreement established the borders between the territories controlled by the two European powers in the region.
Spain was responsible for the area of the islands and transferred this right to Equatorial Guinea when the country became independent in 1968.
However, Gabon claimed sovereignty based on the Convention of Bata, a treaty signed in 1974. According to Gabon, this document confirmed its possession of the islands. During the trial, Equatorial Guinea contested the validity of this treaty and accused Gabon of invading the islets in 1972.
The court, based in The Hague, Netherlands, declared that the Convention of Bata “is not a legally binding treaty” and “does not constitute a legal title.” Thus, the court recognized that the legal title of the islands belonged to Spain and that this right passed to Equatorial Guinea.
Unlike other disputes judged by the ICJ, the two countries agreed to jointly submit the case to the court in search of a peaceful solution.
The request was for the judges to analyze the legal documents and determine their validity, without directly naming which nation held sovereignty. The decision represents a diplomatic victory for Equatorial Guinea.
With information from Forbes.
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