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A territorial dispute is a dispute over the ownership or control of land between two or more political entities.
Territorial disputes are related to ownership of natural resources such as land or petroleum resources. These territorial disputes can also result from culture, belief, religion and racial loyalty. Territorial disputes often result from unclear phraseology or language in a treaty through which the original boundary of the State is set up. Territorial disputes are one of the root causes of the war and disputes between States. One of these types of territorial disputes happened in Africa between Gabon and Equatorial Guinea for the Island of Mbanié.
Where Is Gabon island?
Gabon is an African country located on the equator. This country is bordered with
Equatorial Guinea. Gabon is a well-known country for its Oklo reactor zones, the only known natural nuclear fission reactor. Gabon has many oil resources, which is why it is the fifth-largest oil producer in Africa. But now, due to its declining oil reserves, it is becoming poor.
Where is Equatorial Guinea?
Equatorial Guinea is an African country having boundaries with Gabon. Equatorial Guinea was Africa’s richest country per capita when it discovered oil and natural gas reserves. Still, most of its people remain extremely poor. The culmination of the rights to food, health and rights to education has declined even though the country has much wealth.
Island of Mbanié: The island of Mbanié is an island located around 16 km off the coast of Gabon. The island was the main cause of the boundary dispute between Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
Boundary Disputes in Africa
The territorial disputes in Africa revolve around its two parts, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. The matter of the dispute between the countries is the island of Mbanié. The dispute between these two countries began in 1972 when a small military war occurred on the island of Mbanié. The surrounding waters of the island remained uncertain until the hydrocarbon fields were discovered. In 2004, the leaders of both Gabon and Equatorial Guinea jointly promised before the UN to reconcile a joint development zone to exploit the oil reserve.
The Island of Mbanié is an island situated around 16 km off the coast of Gabon. These islands are unoccupied but lie within territorial waters that contain oil and gas resources. Being heavily reliant on both Gabon and Equatorial Guinea on hydrocarbons is one of the causes of their disputes for the mbanié island.
In Morocco, the two countries signed an agreement with the UN on the sidelines of the COP 22 global climate conference held in mid-November. The prolonged territorial dispute between the two countries became a source of continuous tension between the two neighbours. These disputes prevented faster integration between the six countries in the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), a regional bloc.
This prolonged territorial dispute was then handed over to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for arbitration by the governments of Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
Conclusion
In this article, we have discussed the territorial dispute between Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, two countries of Africa. The cause of the dispute between the countries was the island of Mbanié. Territorial disputes are boundary disputes over the ownership or control of land between two or more political entities. Territorial disputes lead to tension and war among the countries involved in disputes. In Africa also, a dispute happened between Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, which led to a lot of tension between these countries. The cause of dispute among these countries was the island of Mbanié.
