UN Court Resolves Oil-Spill Dispute Between Equatorial Guinea and Gabon

The ruling ends decades of contention over islands with potential oil reserves, favoring historical claims over recent treaties.

 

In a landmark decision, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague has recognized Equatorial Guinea's sovereignty over three islands—Conga, Mbanié, and Cocoteros—caught in a long-standing maritime dispute with Gabon. The conflict, which traces back to the early 1970s, revolves around these sparsely populated islands believed to sit atop significant oil reserves.

The court ruled that Equatorial Guinea's claim is grounded in a 1900 treaty that delineated colonial territories controlled by Spain and France. In contrast, Gabon argued that a later treaty, the 1974 Bata convention, shifted control of the islands to them, a contention that the ICJ dismissed.

In a final ruling that holds binding influence, the ICJ declared that the islands were initially governed by Spain and subsequently transferred to Equatorial Guinea when it gained independence in 1968. As a result, Gabon must withdraw its military presence from Mbanié, the largest of the three islands, where Gabonese forces had established a base since 1972.

While tensions between the two nations subsided after military hostilities in the early '70s, interest in oil exploration in the Gulf of Guinea reignited disputes in the early 2000s. In 2016, after years of UN mediation, both nations agreed to present the matter to the ICJ for resolution, culminating in this recent judgment that marks a significant development in their diplomatic relations.

As this dispute closes, it underscores the complex interplay between historical treaties and modern geopolitics in resource-rich regions of Africa.