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The tiny island of Mbanié off the coast of Gabon is the subject of a dispute pitting Equatorial Guinea against Gabon at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Both countries have laid claim to the 74-acre (30 hectare) island and two smaller islets, all of which are thought to contain significant oil resources.
Equatorial Guinea on Monday asked judges at the ICJ to reject Gabon’s claim to the island. Gabon will present its case on Wednesday, with hearings expected to take a week.
Equatorial Guinea’s claim is based on a 1900 border treaty between Spain, its former colonial ruler, and France, Gabon’s former colonial administrator. Gabon, however, believes the ICJ should base its decision on another agreement, the Bata Convention signed in 1974.
The neighboring countries specifically want the judges to rule on which of the legal texts are valid.
The court is slated to issue its final and binding ruling next year.
