Vanuatu considers taking France to ICJ over disputed Matthew and Hunter islands

Vanuatu has asked the International Court of Justice to consider its long-running claim to two tiny, uninhabited Pacific islands, but France must first accept the court’s jurisdiction.

The islands, known as Umaenupne or Matthew and Umaeneg/Leka or Hunter, are at the center of a dispute over sovereignty and maritime boundaries. Vanuatu’s filing also concerns the establishment of a single boundary between the countries’ exclusive economic zones and continental shelves in relation to New Caledonia.

The court in The Hague confirmed that Vanuatu’s request had been transmitted to France. It said, however, that “no procedural action will be taken until France has accepted the jurisdiction of the Court in this case.”

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concerning Vanuatu’s sovereignty over the islands of Umaenupne (Matthew) and Umaeneg/Leka (Hunter)

Matthew and Hunter lie about 300 kilometers south of the southernmost island in the Vanuatu archipelago and more than 400 kilometers east of New Caledonia’s main island. Together, the isolated islands cover less than one square kilometer, yet they provide France with an exclusive economic zone of 350,000 square kilometers.

Vanuatu has claimed the islands since gaining independence from France and the United Kingdom in 1980. The filing therefore puts a longstanding sovereignty dispute before the United Nations’ highest court, subject to France’s decision on whether to recognize its authority in the case.

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the establishment of a single maritime boundary between the exclusive economic zones and continental shelves of Vanuatu and France (with respect to New Caledonia)