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| International Court of Justice sides with Equatorial Guinea in Gabon island dispute | International Court of Justice sides with Equatorial Guinea in Gabon island dispute |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| The ruling took place at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands | The ruling took place at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands |
| The United Nation's top court has sided with Equatorial Guinea in a row with Gabon over three islands in potentially oil-rich waters. | The United Nation's top court has sided with Equatorial Guinea in a row with Gabon over three islands in potentially oil-rich waters. |
| The two Central African countries have been arguing over the isles - Conga, Mbanié and Cocoteros - since the early 1970s. | The two Central African countries have been arguing over the isles - Conga, Mbanié and Cocoteros - since the early 1970s. |
| The islands are virtually uninhabited but are in a maritime zone thought to contain significant oil deposits. | The islands are virtually uninhabited but are in a maritime zone thought to contain significant oil deposits. |
| The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Equatorial Guinea's claim - based on a 1900 treaty dividing up French and Spanish colonial assets - should be honoured. | The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Equatorial Guinea's claim - based on a 1900 treaty dividing up French and Spanish colonial assets - should be honoured. |
| The court dismissed Gabon's central argument - that a more recent treaty, the 1974 Bata convention, had switched the islands' sovereignty in its favour. | The court dismissed Gabon's central argument - that a more recent treaty, the 1974 Bata convention, had switched the islands' sovereignty in its favour. |
| In a final and binding ruling, the ICJ said Conga, Mbanié and Cocoteros were held by Spain, and then passed to its former colony Equatorial Guinea at independence in 1968. | In a final and binding ruling, the ICJ said Conga, Mbanié and Cocoteros were held by Spain, and then passed to its former colony Equatorial Guinea at independence in 1968. |
| Gabon will now have to remove its soldiers from Mbanié, the largest of the islands. | Gabon will now have to remove its soldiers from Mbanié, the largest of the islands. |
| In 1972, the Gabonese army drove Equatoguinean troops from Mbanié and established its own military presence there. | In 1972, the Gabonese army drove Equatoguinean troops from Mbanié and established its own military presence there. |
| Hostilities cooled until the early 2000s, when the prospect of oil in the Gulf of Guinea became apparent. | Hostilities cooled until the early 2000s, when the prospect of oil in the Gulf of Guinea became apparent. |
| In 2016, following years of mediation by the United Nations, the two nations agreed to let the ICJ settle the matter. | In 2016, following years of mediation by the United Nations, the two nations agreed to let the ICJ settle the matter. |
| A spokesperson for the Gabonese presidency said it was now down to the countries to negotiate in the light of the ruling, the AFP news agency reports. | |
| "Gabon and Equatorial Guinea have to live side-by-side, we can't move away from each other. Therefore we will have to talk it over to solve all these problems," said Guy Rossatanga-Rignault. | |
| Both countries are significant oil producers. However, they have experienced falling oil production in recent years due to underinvestment, insufficient exploration activity and ageing wells. | |
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| Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. | Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. |
| Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica | Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica |