Vanuatu Tries to Raise Island Dispute with France to Top UN Court
The case centers on control of territorial waters, fishing rights and seabed resources tied to two uninhabited volcanic islands.
- On Tuesday, the Pacific Island state of Vanuatu filed a case before the International Court of Justice in THE HAGUE, seeking to resolve a decades-old sovereignty dispute with France over two uninhabited islands.
- The dispute centers on Matthew Island and Hunter Island, located 300 kilometres east of the French territory of New Caledonia, where sovereignty determines control of surrounding waters affecting fishing rights and seabed resources.
- France and Vanuatu held bilateral negotiations in 2018 and 2019, then resumed talks in 2025 about maritime boundaries; Earlier this year, Vanuatu stated the negotiations had reached an impasse.
- The ICJ will not immediately accept the case because France has not agreed to compulsory jurisdiction; Vanuatu's claim was sent to Paris to determine if France will consent to proceedings.
- In a press statement, the ICJ declared, "No action will be taken in the proceedings unless and until France consents to the Court's jurisdiction in the case." The French government has not yet responded to comment requests.
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These two small uninhabited and isolated islands of the Pacific Ocean provide France with an exclusive economic zone of 350,000 square kilometres, but Vanuatu has been claiming these lands since its independence from France and the United Kingdom in 1980.
Vanuatu is seeking to take France to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over two disputed and strategically important islands in the Pacific Ocean, the court said on Tuesday.
The island nation of Vanuatu has lodged a request with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to initiate proceedings against France regarding two disputed islets in the Pacific Ocean. This was reported by the court in The Hague, which added that the case can only be opened if France recognizes the court's jurisdiction in the matter.
Vanuatu has been claiming these lands since its independence from France and the United Kingdom in 1980, and France does not intend to give up sovereignty over these islands.
Vanuatu tries to take island dispute with France to U.N.'s top court
Vanuatu filed a petition with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) challenging French sovereignty over these two Pacific islands near New Caledonia
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