Gabon, Equatorial Guinea face off in ICJ over small islands

Equatorial Guinea has rejected a claim laid by Gabon at the International court of Justice in The Hague to islands that could have oil and gas resources.

The two countries have been at loggerheads over Mbanie, an island of 30 hectares, and two other smaller islands nearby.

The dispute is a relic of the French and Spanish colonial borders legacy dating back to 1900.

In 1972, Gabonese army expelled Equatorial Guinea soldiers from Mbanie and has since kept its control over the small uninhabited island.

The two countries have asked the court to decide which legal texts are valid, not specifically to define which nation has sovereignty.

Equatorial Guinea rejected a document put forward by Gabon in 2003 to argue in favor of its sovereignty over the islands.