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.
Gabon had argued that a more recent treaty - the 1974 Bata Convention - switched the islands' sovereignty in its favour.
You may also be interested in:
Massive sex tape leak could be a ploy for power in central AfricaWhy Gabon's coup leader is bucking a trend by embracing democracyGabon's ousted president and family freed after two years
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
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
UN Security Council to vote on Gaza ceasefire resolution amid humanitarian crisis
The U.N. Security Council scheduled a vote Wednesday on a resolution which demands 'an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties.' U.N. diplomats said the United States is likely to veto it. The resolution, drafted by the council's 10 elected members who serve two-year terms, reiterates its demand for the release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups following their Oct. 7, 2023 surprise attack in southern Israel. Calling the humanitarian situation in Gaza 'catastrophic,' the proposed resolution also demands 'the immediate and unconditional lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and its safe and unhindered distribution at scale, including by the U.N. and humanitarian partners.' The vote, scheduled for late Wednesday afternoon, comes amid near-daily shootings following the establishment by an Israeli and U.S.-backed foundation of aid distribution points inside Israeli military zones, a system it says is designed to circumvent Hamas. The United Nations has rejected the new system, saying it doesn't address Gaza's mounting hunger crisis, allows Israel to use aid as a weapon, and doesn't comply with the humanitarian principles of neutrality, impartiality and independence. The draft resolution demands the restoration of all essential humanitarian services in line with those principles, international humanitarian law and U.N. Security Council resolutions. Several U.N. diplomats from different countries, speaking on condition of anonymity Tuesday because discussions have been private, said they expect the United States to veto the resolution. The U.S. Mission to the United Nations said it had no comment on the draft resolution at this time. Israel's U.N. Mission did not respond to a request for comment on the draft. Gaza's roughly 2 million people are almost completely reliant on international aid because Israel's offensive has destroyed nearly all of Gaza's food production capabilities. Israel imposed a blockade on supplies into Gaza on March 2, and limited aid began to enter again late last month after pressure from allies and warnings of famine. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Tuesday that the needs in Gaza are enormous and what's getting into Gaza from the U.N. 'is still just a trickle.' Since the complete blockade was partly lifted, he said, just over 620 truckloads have made it from Israel to the Palestinian side of the Kerem Shalom crossing, and only about 370 truckloads – mainly with flour, food and medical and nutrition items __ have gotten closer to people in need, with some looted including by armed gangs. 'The unimpeded entry of humanitarian assistance at scale must be restored immediately,' Dujarric said. 'The U.N. must be allowed to work in safety and in security under conditions of full respect for humanitarian principles.' Since Oct. 7, 2023, the Security Council has voted on 14 Gaza-related resolutions and approved four. The last resolution was also proposed by the 10 elected council members and also demanded 'an immediate, unconditional and permanent cease-fire to be respected by all parties.' Fourteen of the 15 council members voted in favor last Nov. 20, but the U.S. vetoed the resolution because it was not linked to the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 people hostage in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack into southern Israel that ignited the war. They are still holding 58 hostages, a third of them believed to be alive, after most of the rest were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which doesn't say how many of the dead were civilians or combatants. The ministry is led by medical professionals but reports to the Hamas-run government. Its toll is seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts, though Israel has challenged its numbers.
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Reuters
US-backed Gaza aid group names evangelical as chairman
UNITED NATIONS, June 3 (Reuters) - The U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation on Tuesday named as its executive chairman an American evangelical Christian leader who has publicly backed President Donald Trump's proposal for the United States to take over the Palestinian enclave. The appointment of Rev. Dr. Johnnie Moore, a former evangelical adviser to the White House during Trump's first term in office, came as health officials said at least 27 people died and more than 150 were injured trying to reach a GHF aid site. "GHF is demonstrating that it is possible to move vast quantities of food to people who need it most — safely, efficiently, and effectively," Moore said in the foundation statement. "GHF believes that serving the people of Gaza with dignity and compassion must be the top priority." The GHF began operations one week ago under a distribution model criticized by the United Nations as the militarization of aid. The GHF says so far it has given out seven million meals from so-called secure distribution sites. It uses private U.S. security and logistics companies to get aid into Gaza. The U.N. and aid groups have refused to work with the GHF because they say it is not a neutral operation. U.N. aid chief Tom Fletcher has said it "makes aid conditional on political and military aims" and uses starvation as "a bargaining chip." The appointment of Moore could fuel U.N. concerns, given his support for the controversial proposal Trump floated in February for the U.S. to take over Gaza and develop it economically. After Trump proposed the idea, Moore posted video of Trump's remarks on X and wrote: "The USA will take full responsibility for future of Gaza, giving everyone hope & a future." The U.N. did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the appointment of Moore, who has accused the U.N. of ignoring "bad guys" stealing aid in Gaza. The U.N. has long-blamed Israel and lawlessness in the enclave for impediments getting aid into Gaza and distributing throughout the war zone. Israel has long accused Hamas of stealing aid, which the group denies. In a reference to the new GHF-led aid model, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week said Israel was "taking control of food distribution" in Gaza. "The @UN & others should clean up their act & work with America," Moore posted on May 26. "Surely, these old U.S. & E.U.-funded humanitarian orgs won't let people starve in exchange for being 'right' when they know what they have done hasn't worked & has, in fact, made a terrible war worse?" The war in Gaza has raged since 2023 after Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in Israel in an October 7 attack and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies, and Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. Moore visited Israel about three months after the 2023 Hamas attack and wrote: "Never have I seen such horror." Just a couple of weeks later, he posted a video titled "Come visit beautiful Gaza," which sought to portray Gaza as a tourist destination if it wasn't for Hamas militants. Trump has said Gaza has the potential to be "The Riviera of the Middle East." The United Nations has long endorsed a vision of two states living side by side within secure and recognized borders. Palestinians want a state in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, all territory captured by Israel in a 1967 war with neighboring Arab states.
Reuters
5 hours ago
- Reuters
UN Security Council likely to vote Wednesday on Gaza action
June 3 (Reuters) - The ten elected members of the U.N. Security Council have asked for the 15-member body to vote on Wednesday on a draft resolution that demands "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties," said diplomats. The draft text, seen by Reuters, also demands the release of all hostages held by Hamas and others, and the immediate lifting of all restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and its safe and unhindered distribution at scale, including by the U.N. throughout the enclave. A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, Britain or France - to pass.
