evidence: Gabon presented its case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Wednesday, asserting sovereignty over three disputed islands in oil-rich waters, a claim contested by Equatorial Guinea. The two West African nations are locked in a territorial dispute over the 30-hectare island of Mbanie and two smaller islets, Cocotier and Conga, potentially rich in oil and gas deposits. The origins of the dispute date back to 1900, when colonial powers France and Spain signed a treaty setting the borders between their territories, now Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. Gabon claims that the 1974 Bata Convention settled the sovereignty issue in its favour, but Equatorial Guinea dismisses the document as unofficial and incomplete. Marie-Madeleine Mborantsuo, honorary president of Gabon’s constitutional court, told the ICJ, "This treaty, which we regard as being fully valid, resolves all sovereignty issues regarding the islands and border delimitation." However, Equatorial Guinea accuses Gabon of illegally occupying the islands since 1972.