Vanuatu pushes France to accept ICJ jurisdiction in Pacific islands dispute

The Pacific island nation of Vanuatu has filed an application with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) seeking sovereignty over two small Pacific islands controlled by France.

The Hague-based court said in a statement on Tuesday that Vanuatu’s application concerns sovereignty over Umaenupne, also known as Matthew Island, and Umaeneg/Leka, or Hunter Island.

The case seeks closure on a decades-old territorial dispute rooted in the region’s colonial history. Far-right parties in France are seeking to use the case as a political weapon.

The ICJ, also known as the World Court, will not immediately take up the case because France has not accepted the court’s compulsory jurisdiction over disputes with other states.

Vanuatu’s application has been sent to Paris to determine whether France agrees to let the court hear the case.

“No action will be taken in the proceedings unless and until France consents to the Court’s jurisdiction in the case,” the ICJ said.

The dispute has become part of a wider debate over France’s colonial legacy in the Pacific.

Vanuatu, jointly ruled by France and Britain until independence in 1980, argues that its decolonisation will not be complete until the islands are returned under its control.