Latest news with #TheInternationalCourtofJustice
19-05-2025
- Politics
Equatorial Guinea prevails in dispute with neighboring Gabon over oil-rich islands
THE HAGUE, Netherlands -- Judges at the top U.N. court sided with the West African country of Equatorial Guinea in a fight with neighboring Gabon over which treaty settled the ownership of three largely uninhabited oil-rich islands. The decision effectively hands the islands to Equatorial Guinea. The countries brought their dispute to The International Court of Justice in 2021, asking judges to determine what legal agreement settles the possession of the oil-rich islands. The 15-judge panel found a 1900 treaty between Spain and France, which divided up colonial holdings, to be the ultimate authority. A later agreement, known as the 1974 Bata Convention, which gives the islands to Gabon, was dismissed as 'not a treaty having the force of law,' Judge Julia Sebutinde said. The document was contested by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon did not produce an original copy for the court. Equatorial Guinea had control of the territory until 1972, when Gabon took over the largest island, Mbanie, in a military skirmish. When oil was discovered in coastal waters, the dispute reignited. The economies of both countries are highly dependent on oil, but production from existing areas has been in decline in recent years. The countries asked the court to settle the ownership question after repeatedly failing in efforts to find a diplomatic solution.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Equatorial Guinea prevails in dispute with neighboring Gabon over oil-rich islands
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Judges at the top U.N. court sided with the West African country of Equatorial Guinea in a fight with neighboring Gabon over which treaty settled the ownership of three largely uninhabited oil-rich islands. The decision effectively hands the islands to Equatorial Guinea. The countries brought their dispute to The International Court of Justice in 2021, asking judges to determine what legal agreement settles the possession of the oil-rich islands. The 15-judge panel found a 1900 treaty between Spain and France, which divided up colonial holdings, to be the ultimate authority. A later agreement, known as the 1974 Bata Convention, which gives the islands to Gabon, was dismissed as 'not a treaty having the force of law,' Judge Julia Sebutinde said. The document was contested by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon did not produce an original copy for the court. Equatorial Guinea had control of the territory until 1972, when Gabon took over the largest island, Mbanie, in a military skirmish. When oil was discovered in coastal waters, the dispute reignited. The economies of both countries are highly dependent on oil, but production from existing areas has been in decline in recent years. The countries asked the court to settle the ownership question after repeatedly failing in efforts to find a diplomatic solution.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Equatorial Guinea prevails in dispute with neighboring Gabon over oil-rich islands
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Judges at the top U.N. court sided with the West African country of Equatorial Guinea in a fight with neighboring Gabon over which treaty settled the ownership of three largely uninhabited oil-rich islands. The decision effectively hands the islands to Equatorial Guinea. The countries brought their dispute to The International Court of Justice in 2021, asking judges to determine what legal agreement settles the possession of the oil-rich islands. The 15-judge panel found a 1900 treaty between Spain and France, which divided up colonial holdings, to be the ultimate authority. A later agreement, known as the 1974 Bata Convention, which gives the islands to Gabon, was dismissed as 'not a treaty having the force of law,' Judge Julia Sebutinde said. The document was contested by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon did not produce an original copy for the court. Equatorial Guinea had control of the territory until 1972, when Gabon took over the largest island, Mbanie, in a military skirmish. When oil was discovered in coastal waters, the dispute reignited. The economies of both countries are highly dependent on oil, but production from existing areas has been in decline in recent years. The countries asked the court to settle the ownership question after repeatedly failing in efforts to find a diplomatic solution. Molly Quell, The Associated Press
The Hindu
05-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
U.N.'s top court to rule on Sudan's request alleging Emiratis funded Sudanese paramilitary forces
The top United Nations court will rule on Monday (May 5, 2025) on a request from Sudan to issue emergency measures against the United Arab Emirates, in a case accusing the UAE of breaching the genocide convention by arming and funding the rebel paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan's deadly war. In March, Sudan asked The International Court of Justice for several orders, known as provisional measures, including telling the UAE to do all it can to prevent the killing and other crimes targeting the Masalit people. The UAE called the filing a publicity stunt and, in a hearing last month, argued the court had no jurisdiction. 'The case is baseless both legally and factually. The UAE is not involved in the war, and this case is yet another attempt by the Sudanese Armed Forces, one of the warring parties, to distract from its own responsibility,' Reem Ketait, a senior official at the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement ahead of the decision. Both Sudan and the UAE are signatories to the 1948 genocide convention. The UAE, however, has a caveat to part of the treaty which legal experts say makes it unlikely that the case will proceed. Sudan descended into a deadly conflict in mid-April 2023 when long-simmering tensions between its military and rival paramilitary forces broke out in the capital, Khartoum, and spread to other regions. Both the Rapid Support Forces and Sudan's military have been accused of abuses. The UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula and a U.S. ally, has been repeatedly accused of arming the RSF, something it has strenuously denied despite evidence to the contrary.
The Independent
05-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
UN's top court is to rule on Sudan's request alleging Emiratis funded Sudanese paramilitary forces
The top United Nations court will rule on Monday on a request from Sudan to issue emergency measures against the United Arab Emirates, in a case accusing the UAE of breaching the genocide convention by arming and funding the rebel paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in Sudan's deadly war. In March, Sudan asked The International Court of Justice for several orders, known as provisional measures, including telling the UAE to do all it can to prevent the killing and other crimes targeting the Masalit people. The UAE called the filing a publicity stunt and, in a hearing last month, argued the court had no jurisdiction. 'The case is baseless both legally and factually. The UAE is not involved in the war, and this case is yet another attempt by the Sudanese Armed Forces, one of the warring parties, to distract from its own responsibility,' Reem Ketait, a senior official at the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement ahead of the decision. Both Sudan and the UAE are signatories to the 1948 genocide convention. The UAE, however, has a caveat to part of the treaty which legal experts say makes it unlikely that the case will proceed. Sudan descended into a deadly conflict in mid-April 2023 when long-simmering tensions between its military and rival paramilitary forces broke out in the capital, Khartoum, and spread to other regions. Both the Rapid Support Forces and Sudan's military have been accused of abuses. The UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula and a U.S. ally, has been repeatedly accused of arming the RSF, something it has strenuously denied despite evidence to the contrary.
