Overview

• The ICJ determined that the 1900 Paris treaty, which divided colonial holdings between France and Spain, grants legal sovereignty of the disputed islands to Equatorial Guinea.
• The 1974 Bata Convention, central to Gabon’s claim, was invalidated by the ICJ as it was deemed not legally binding and lacked an original authenticated document.
• Gabon must withdraw its military presence from Mbanie, which it has occupied since 1972 after expelling Equatorial Guinean forces.
• The islands, though small and uninhabited, are located in waters with significant oil and gas exploration potential, intensifying their strategic importance.
• Both nations voluntarily submitted the dispute to the ICJ to avoid military escalation, marking the ruling as final and binding.