Vanuatu turns to world court in Pacific islands ownership fight with France

Vanuatu has applied to the International Court of Justice seeking a ruling on ownership of two remote islands, known to Vanuatu as Umaenupne and Umaeneg/Leka and to France as Matthew and Hunter, plus a maritime boundary determination. The dispute dates to 1980, when Vanuatu gained independence from joint British-French administration without resolving the islands' status.

Crucially, the court cannot proceed unless France consents to its jurisdiction in this case, and the French government has not yet responded to the application. Talks in 2018 and 2019 produced no agreement, and France's foreign minister reaffirmed Paris's claim to the islands as recently as June 2026.

With no hearing scheduled and no deadline for France to respond, the case sits at the court's door, its fate resting entirely on whether the country being challenged chooses to show up.

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