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Agencies

France is facing pressure to consent to the International Court of Justice taking up a decades-old territorial feud with Vanuatu, after Paris firmly reasserted its sovereignty over two strategically vital Pacific islands.
Vanuatu filed an application with the UN’s top court earlier this week seeking recognition of its claim over the uninhabited Matthew and Hunter islands. However, the case cannot proceed without French consent, prompting Vanuatu to warn it would seek a UN General Assembly opinion if Paris blocks its ICJ bid.
The ICJ, also known as the World Court, will not immediately accept the case. Under the court’s rules, the case can only proceed if France agrees international judges have jurisdiction over its disputes with other states.
“No action will be taken ⁠in the proceedings unless and until France consents to the Court’s jurisdiction in the ‌case,” the ICJ said in a press statement on Tuesday.
France on Wednesday insisted on its sovereignty over the uninhabited islands of Matthew and Hunter, which are some 300km (190 miles) east of the French territory of New ‌Caledonia and southeast of Vanuatu. Eleonore Caroit, a junior minister at the French foreign ministry, said Paris had taken note of the move by Vanuatu over the islands and would give its response in due course.
While the tiny islands cover less than 1 sq km of land, their ownership guarantees an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 350,000 sq km. Control over these territorial waters dictates fishing rights and the exploitation of rich seabed resources.

Modern France still has overseas territories across the globe, from the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean and Pacific, legacies of the colonial era that are now vital strategic footholds for Paris.
Vanuatu, which won independence from joint British and French rule in 1980, also claims sovereignty over the uninhabited outcrops.
“France’s position is clear and firm,” Caroit said at a conference of Pacific islands hosted by Palau on Wednesday.
“It is a position of dialogue and openness, but above all, it is a reaffirmation of France’s sovereignty over these islands,” said Caroit. The sides must “discuss, negotiate, and try to find solutions without relinquishing sovereignty – that was never on the table”, she added.
Paris acknowledges the request by Vanuatu to open the case and will respond regarding “jurisdiction” and “the merits of the case”, she said.
If Paris refuses to accept the court’s jurisdiction, Vanuatu plans to request an advisory opinion through a majority vote in the UN General Assembly, Vanuatu Environment Minister Ralph Regenvanu said at the forum.
In 2025 France and Vanuatu agreed to new ⁠rounds of bilateral negotiations about the islands and the demarcation of the maritime boundaries between ⁠the territories after two earlier rounds of talks in 2018 and 2019.
Earlier this year, Vanuatu said the new talks had reached ‌an impasse and it ‌would take its case to an international court. Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat had accused France of colonialism over the dispute, threatening to use “all diplomatic and international legal means” if discussions broke down.
The ICJ, the United Nations’ highest court, deals with disputes between states and violations of international treaties. It often rules on disputes between countries about land and maritime boundaries.
Reuters and Agence France-Presse


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France digs in on Pacific islands claim as Vanuatu turns to UN’s top court

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 Hunter Island. Photo: Google Maps

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Vanuatu says it will seek UN General Assembly opinion if Paris does not accept the ICJ’s jurisdiction on the disputed outcrops


Vanuatu says it will seek UN General Assembly opinion if Paris does not accept the ICJ’s jurisdiction on the disputed outcrops.


France digs in on Pacific islands claim as Vanuatu turns to UN’s top court

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Vanuatu says it will seek UN General Assembly opinion if Paris does not accept the ICJ’s jurisdiction on the disputed outcrops

Vanuatu says it will seek UN General Assembly opinion if Paris does not accept the ICJ’s jurisdiction on the disputed outcrops