France rejects Vanuatu ICJ bid over Pacific islands sovereignty

Vanuatu has filed an application with the International Court of Justice seeking recognition of its claim over the uninhabited Matthew and Hunter islands, but France has firmly reasserted sovereignty and the case cannot proceed without French consent. Vanuatu warns it may seek a UN General Assembly resolution to pressure France. This escalates a decades-old territorial dispute in a strategically vital Pacific region, potentially complicating France's regional posture.