The End of a 50-year Dispute

Equatorial Guinea & Gabon Finally Sign an Engagement Agreement Over Contested Islands

Raymond B. Kaniu

Raymond B. Kaniu is the Chief Executive & Chairman of Strähl Composite.

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Equatorial Guinea and Gabon signed a Joint Engagement Agreement on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, during the 49th Ordinary Session of the AU Executive Council. It formally put an end to the 50-year border dispute. 

The dispute involved the 30-hectare island of Mbanie and two tiny nearby islets, Cocotiers and Conga, situated in the Gulf of Guinea. The surrounding maritime waters contain valuable, undeveloped oil and natural gas reserves. 

The two nations brought the case to the International Court of Justice via a joint 2016 special agreement to evaluate competing legal titles. The International Court of Justice sided with Equatorial Guinea over Gabon. 

The disagreement began in the early 1970s, rooted in overlapping colonial-era French and Spanish treaties from 1900 and Gabon's cited 1974 Bata Convention. The court ruled that the Bata Convention did not constitute a legal title to the islands, which was held by Spain and had passed to Equatorial Guinea upon independence in 1968. To support the process, the Chairperson appointed H.E. Ambassador Albert Shingiro as his Special Envoy to facilitate continued engagement between the two Parties. Both nations stated the deal opens a fresh era of friendly neighbor relations and joint regional development without any reopening of legal battles.

The signatories were Equatorial Guinea's Foreign Minister Simeón Oyono Esono Angüe and Gabon's Constitutional Court President Dieudonné Aba'a Owono, alongside AU leadership. 

Equatorial Guinea’s economy relies heavily on crude oil and natural gas, which make up over 90% of its exports. Despite a high nominal GDP per capita (around $6,600) driven by 1990s hydrocarbon discoveries, the country faces an ongoing economic contraction due to aging oil fields, and widespread poverty remains a critical challenge. Following major offshore discoveries in the mid-1990s, the country grew into one of sub-Saharan Africa's key petroleum producers and a member of OPEC. The government continues to partner with international firms, such as signing technical exploration agreements with Portugal's Galp for offshore blocks. By resolving the long-standing border dispute over the small islands in potentially oil- and gas-rich waters, they improve their chances at increasing their output. 

Gabon has an upper-middle-income developing economy powered heavily by natural resources. Petroleum and gas make up about half of the gross domestic product (GDP) and 80% of exports, though declining oil reserves drive a push toward mining, timber, and digital technology. Growth is projected at a moderate 3.0%. Gabon is a major sub-Saharan oil producer and OPEC member holding roughly 2 billion barrels of proven reserves. The sector drives the nation’s economy, anchored by offshore fields, active international operators, and an expanding national oil company, the Gabon Oil Company. By resolving the dispute, it augments Gabon's national dual strategy of maximizing value from existing assets while opening new exploration opportunities across its offshore basin.

A win-win for both nations and their citizens if they can hold their resolve. 

It's interesting how many nations are currently in conflict over a limited resource, and for how long they have been at loggerheads. One is forced to think of the value other resources have and the conflicts that will arise as a result of their scarcity. Water quickly comes to mind.