Lete Island

Lété Island is an island in the River Niger approx. 16 kilometres long and 4 kilometres wide, located around 40 kilomeres from the town of Gao, Niger. Together with other smaller islands in the River Niger, it was the main object of a territorial dispute between Niger and Benin, which had begun when the two entities were still under French rule. The two countries had almost gone to war over their border in 1963 but finally chose to settle by peaceful means. In the early 90s a joint delimitation commission was tasked with solving the issue but could not reach an agreement. In 2001 the two parties chose to have the ICJ decide on the matter once and for all. In 2005, the ICJ ruled in Niger's favour.

Further reading

* Fabio Spadi (2005) [http://www.ljil.leidenuniv.nl/index.php3?m=5&c=186 The ICJ Judgment in the Benin-Niger Border Dispute: the interplay of titles and ‘effectivités’ under the uti possidetis juris principle, "Leiden Journal of International Law"] 18: 777-794