International Court of Justice sides with Equatorial Guinea in Gabon island dispute

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 islands are virtually uninhabited but are in a maritime zone thought to contain significant amounts of hydrocarbons.

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.