Politics

Equatorial Guinea wants Gabon’s claim on islands rejected by ICJ

Published

3 months ago

October 1, 2024

Equatorial Guinea requested on Monday that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) dismiss Gabon’s claim to multiple islands situated in potentially oil-rich seas within the Gulf of Guinea.

The tiny island of Mbanié, which is located less than a kilometre (about 1,000 yards) off the coast of Gabon, is the centre of a dispute between the two major oil-producing countries of Africa. They have requested that the UN’s highest court resolve the case.

“Gabon’s position is factually and legally untenable,” said Equatorial Guinea’s representative at the court, Domingo Mba Esono.

Since Gabon’s army ousted Equatorial Guinean soldiers from Mbanié in 1972, there has been violence. Since then, Gabon has established its own military outpost on the 74-acre, nearly deserted island (30 hectares).

However, the conflict was forgotten until the early 2000s, when renewed interest in the Gulf of Guinea was sparked by the possibility of oil.

Following years of UN mediation, the nations inked a deal in 2016 that would eventually allow the International Court of Justice, or World Court, to resolve the conflict.

The convention that divided up French and Spanish colonial holdings in West Africa in 1900 serves as the foundation for Equatorial Guinea’s claim to the islands.

In the meantime, Gabon asserts that the 1974 accord ought to serve as the foundation for the ICJ’s ruling. Gabon’s 1974 agreement evidence document, according to Equatorial Guinea, is not an original and is not signed.

Hearings will last a week. Gabon presents its case on Wednesday. Next year is anticipated to see the court’s definitive and binding decision.

Related Topics:Equatorial Guinea Featured Gabon

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Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

2 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.