ICJ awards three, oil rich islands to Equatorial Guinea in dispute with Gabon
In a 14-1 decision, (AfricaNews) the International Court issued a ruling on a dispute between Gabon and Equatorial Guinea over a set of three small, uninhabited, yet oil-bearing islands in the Gulf of Guinea. The ruling from the court held that a 1900 treaty between France and Spain was the basis for awarding the islands to Equatorial Guinea. The case was brought forward by both Gabon and Equatorial Guinea back in 2021, providing the jurisdiction for the court to hand down its ruling over the dispute.
Background
Equatorial Guinea and Gabon are both countries located in Central Africa. Both countries share a common currency, known as the Central African CFA franc, (Chen, J), with four other, mostly French-speaking states. The two countries also share a border on the African mainland, with continental Equatorial Guinea, known as Rio Muni, tucked away northwest of Gabon and south of Cameroon.
Both Equatorial Guinea’s Rio Muni and Gabon are generally littoral states, with most of the population of both living near the Gulf of Guinea due to the humid jungle interiors of both countries. Equatorial Guinea, however, has a substantial population on the island of Bioko, where the country’s capital, Malabo, sits. Equatorial Guinea is, however, constructing a new capital in the middle of Rio Muni known as Ciudad la Paz to provide a more central location for the country’s administration.
Analysis
The three islands under dispute, while small and uninhabited, possess significant oil reserves for their size. It was the discovery of oil in the exclusive economic zone of the islands that reignited the dispute between Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Both countries, however, have significant oil reserves that boost their GDP per capita on paper, even if much of the wealth does not benefit much of the population directly.
Given the fact that both countries agreed to submit the dispute to the ICJ and the non-vital interests of both countries, Gabon is most likely to abide by the decision. The decision from the ICJ comes just weeks after the victory (AP news) of Brice Oligui Nguema in the country’s recent presidential election. Refusing to accept the unanimous ruling of the court would hurt both Gabon’s and Nguema’s standing worldwide and domestically, given that all UN members are obliged to comply with the court’s rulings.
Citations:
AfricaNews. (2025, May 19). Un court backs Equatorial Guinea in disputed islands case with gabon. Africanews. https://www.africanews.com/2025/05/19/un-court-backs-equatorial-guinea-in-disputed-islands-case-with-gabon/
AP News. (2025, April 25). Gabon’s Constitutional Court confirms Oligui Nguema’s victory in presidential election. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/gabon-presidential-election-results-nguema-aef3218ae12bd07b037b722afa9622ca
Chen, J. (n.d.). XAF (Central African CFA franc): Meaning, history, economy. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/central-african-cfa-franc-xaf.asp