On May 19, 2025, the International Court of Justice ruled in favor of Equatorial Guinea in a long-standing territorial dispute with Gabon over the islands of Mbanie, Conga, and Cocoteros. Gabon had claimed sovereignty based on a contested treaty from 1974, known as the Bata Convention. However, Equatorial Guinea argued that Gabon's basis for sovereignty lacked validity, pointing out the absence of an original document. The ICJ's decision recognizes Equatorial Guinea's claim to these uninhabited islands, located in potentially resource-rich waters, thereby ending decades of tensions between the two nations.
The International Court of Justice ruled that the islands of Mbanie, Conga and Cocoteros legally belong to Equatorial Guinea, resolving a decades-long dispute.
Gabon argued that the Bata Convention confirms its sovereignty, but Equatorial Guinea dismissed this, stating the treaty was never proven to exist.
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