A Pacific Power Play: Vanuatu's Sovereignty Claim Against France The simmering dispute between Vanuatu and France over two small islands, Matthew and Hunter Islands, has finally reached a boiling point.
The Pacific island nation has filed a case against France at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), seeking international recognition of its sovereignty over these tiny specks in the vast ocean.
For decades, negotiations between the two countries have stalled, with France unwilling to concede the islands' ownership.