The Pacific island nation of Vanuatu has filed a case with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, Netherlands, asking the court to recognize its sovereignty over two small islands currently controlled by France.
In a statement released Tuesday, the ICJ confirmed Vanuatu's application concerning sovereignty over Umaenupne (also known as Matthew Island) and Umaeneg/Leka (Hunter Island). The case seeks to settle a territorial dispute spanning decades, rooted in the region's colonial history.
The ICJ, also called 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 filing has been sent to Paris for France to decide whether it agrees to the court's jurisdiction.
“No proceedings will be instituted unless France consents to the court's jurisdiction in the case,” the ICJ said.
The dispute has become part of a broader debate over France's colonial legacy in the Pacific. Vanuatu, jointly administered by France and Britain until its independence in 1980, argues that its decolonization will not be complete until the two islands are returned to its control.
The case has also been exploited by far-right factions in France, who accuse President Emmanuel Macron's government of being ready to give up French territory — a claim Paris has repeatedly denied.
Vanuatu has challenged French sovereignty over the islands since its independence, arguing that the colonial arrangement placing the islands under French control was made without consulting indigenous populations.
Matthew and Hunter are two uninhabited volcanic islands in the South Pacific, located about 300 kilometers east of France's New Caledonia territory and southeast of Vanuatu. Despite their small size, sovereignty affects control over surrounding waters, including fishing rights and access to seabed resources.
In 2025, France and Vanuatu agreed to open new bilateral talks on the islands and maritime boundaries, following earlier discussions in 2018 and 2019. However, earlier this year, Vanuatu said the talks had stalled and it would take the dispute to international court.
The ICJ, the highest court of the United Nations, settles disputes between states and often rules on disagreements over land and maritime borders.
