Gabon and Equatorial Guinea have signed an agreement formally ending a decades-long dispute over the islands of Mbanie, Cocotiers and Conga, following a 2025 International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in favour of Equatorial Guinea.
Signed at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, the accord was endorsed by Equatorial Guinean Foreign Minister Simeon Oyono Esono Angue, Gabon Constitutional Council President Dieudonne Aba’a Owono, and AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.
Key developments:
- Equatorial Guinea committed with Gabon to implement and respect the ICJ’s ruling.
- The ICJ determined the 1900 Paris Treaty, not the 1974 Bata Convention, established sovereignty over the islands.
- The largely uninhabited islands lie in waters considered potentially rich in oil and gas.
- Both governments said the agreement marks a new phase of bilateral cooperation.
The agreement concludes one of Central Africa’s longest-running territorial disputes, rooted in the 1900 Paris Treaty between the colonial powers of France and Spain.
Tensions intensified after Gabon occupied Mbanie Island in 1972 and both countries later advanced competing legal claims over sovereignty and maritime boundaries.
In 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that the 1900 treaty—not the disputed 1974 Bata Convention—provided the valid legal basis for Equatorial Guinea’s sovereignty.
The settlement is expected to strengthen regional stability, support future cooperation between the neighbouring states, and provide greater legal certainty over waters believed to contain significant oil and gas resources.
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