A territorial dispute is a disagreement over the possession or control of territories (airspace, land, and water) between two or more political entities.
Bold indicates one claimant's full control; italics indicates one or more claimants' partial control.
Ongoing disputes between UN member/observer states Africa TerritoryClaimantsNotesAl-Fashaga DistrictThe Al Fushqa or Al Fashaga district is a disputed area between Ethiopia and Sudan, specifically Al Qadarif and Amhara. Abyei, Jordah, Kafia Kingi, Heglig, Bebnis, Jebel Megeinis and 14-mile area near Kiir river. Both Sudan and South Sudan have claimed the area after the civil war that led to South Sudan's independence. Heglig was controlled by South Sudan in mid-April 2012, but retaken by Sudan. Banc du Geyser Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean, a district of the French Southern Territories. Bassas da India, Europa Island and Juan de Nova Island De facto part of the French overseas territory of the French Southern Territories. Ceuta, Melilla, and the plazas de soberanía Melilla and Ceuta have been Spanish territories since 1497 and 1640 respectively. They have had the status of autonomous cities since 1995.After an incident on Perejil Island in 2002, both countries agreed to return to the status quo.Chagos ArchipelagoThe United Kingdom de facto administers the archipelago as the British Indian Ocean Territory. Mauritius and Maldives claims the islands. On 22 May 2025, Mauritius and the United Kingdom signed a deal to hand sovereignty over to Mauritius; the dispute between the two will end once the deal is ratified by both parties. However, the Maldives opposed the negotiations. Doumeira Mountain, Ras Doumeira and Doumeira Island Basis of the Djiboutian–Eritrean border conflict of 2008. Disputed territory occupied by Eritrea following withdrawal of Qatari peacekeepers in June 2017. Alternatively transliterated as the Dumaira Mountains. Glorioso Islands De facto a part of the French overseas territory of the French Southern Territories.Formally claimed by Seychelles before 2001.Guinea–Liberia borderIn March 2026, tensions rose along the Guinea–Liberia border after reports that Guinean soldiers crossed into Liberian territory near Sorlumba in Foya District, Lofa County. Local officials stated that Guinean troops halted road construction work near the Makona River, seized equipment being used in the area, and removed a Liberian flag from the disputed location. The incident prompted diplomatic engagement between the governments of Liberia and Guinea. Liberian President Joseph Boakai traveled to Conakry in March 2026 for emergency talks with Guinean officials and regional leaders aimed at easing tensions and resolving the dispute peacefully.
Regional organizations including the Economic Community of West African States called for restraint while diplomatic efforts continued to address the situation along the frontier. Hala'ib Triangle and Bir Tawil Previously under joint administration; Egypt now maintains full de facto control of the Hala'ib Triangle. The boundaries claimed by Egypt and Sudan both include the Hala'ib Triangle. The area of Bir Tawil close to the triangle is unclaimed by both countries.Migingo Island and the vicinity of the islands of Lolwe, Oyasi, Remba, Ringiti and and the surrounding waters. Ilemi Triangle De facto controlled by Kenya. Ethiopian tribes used and made raids in the land, but the Ethiopian government has never made a claim to it, agreeing it was Sudanese in 1902, 1907, and 1972 treaties.The National Geographic Society in recent works has included an Ethiopian claim, later removed due to lack of sources. The World Factbook confirms that Ethiopia does not claim the territory KaNgwane and Ingwavuma Eswatini claims territories that it states were confiscated during colonial times. The area claimed by Eswatini is the former bantustan of KaNgwane, which now forms the northern parts of Jozini and uMhlabuyalingana local municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal, and the southern part of Nkomazi, the southeastern part of Umjindi and the far eastern part of Albert Luthuli local municipalities in Mpumalanga. Koalou village and surrounding area Burkina Faso and Benin retain a border dispute at this 7.75 km2 triangular area of land near the tripoint border with Togo. In a 2008 meeting, it was declared that the territory was a neutral zone, neither Burkinabé nor Beninese. According to the UN Refugee Agency in 2015, there were issues of children being born stateless in the area, however, a Beninese civil registration office has taken control of registering births in the area. Kpéaba village area (near Sipilou/Siquita) The Guinean military occupied this village for 1 month from January to February 2013, before withdrawing in preparation for talks. In December 2016, Guinea soldiers and civilians attacked the village, killing 1 and wounding several others, before returning to their side of the border. According to the Guinean Minister of Defence, the Guinean army had been asked not to send any soldiers to this area and had no involvement in this incident. Area near Logoba/Moyo District A 1914 British colonial order defined the international border based on the tribal boundary between the Kuku of Kajokeji (South Sudan) and the Ma'di of Moyo (Uganda). However, the border was never formally demarcated. In 2014, a conflict was triggered by the Ugandan national census when Ugandan officials were detained by South Sudan authorities. Area near Chiengi, Lunchinda-Pweto Province Zambia and Congo have different interpretations of the borders set out in an 1894 treaty between British settlers and Leopold II, King of the Belgians. There have been incidents between the armies of both countries in 1996, 2006, and 2016. In March 2020, Zambia deployed troops on the Congolese side of the border. Right bank of the Lunkinda River (near the village of Pweto) Mayotte Under the 2009 referendum, the population supported becoming an overseas department of France, so Mayotte became one on 31 March 2011. Islands in Mbamba Bay and Lake Nyasa Lundo Island and Mbamba Island are claimed as part of the lake, as Malawi has claims to the shore − based on the 1890 Anglo-German treaty. See Tanzania–Malawi dispute. Several islands in the Congo River Most of the boundary in the Congo River remains undefined. An island in the Ntem River Several villages near the Okpara River The Rufunzo Valley and Sabanerwa In 1965, the Akanyaru River changed course due to heavy rains. Burundians point to Rwandan farmers for contributing to the change of course by rice-growing. Rukwanzi Island and the Semliki River valley The dispute is related to fishing rights in Lake Edward and Lake Albert.Margherita Peak in the Rwenzori mountainsUganda rejects the DROC claim to Margherita Peak in the Rwenzori mountains and considers it a boundary divide. Sindabezi Island Tourist island on the Zambezi River, west of the Victoria Falls Tromelin Island De facto a part of the French overseas territory of the French Southern Territories. Wadi Halfa Salient Most of the disputed territory comprised villages flooded by Lake Nasser after the construction of the Aswan Dam.Namibia–South Africa borderThe governments of South Africa and Namibia have not signed or ratified the text of the 1994 Surveyor's General agreement placing the boundary in the middle of the Orange River. South Africa has always claimed that the northern bank of the Orange River is the border between the two countries, while Namibia's constitution states that the border lies in the middle of the Orange River.YengaIn 2001, during Sierra Leone's civil war, the Republic of Guinea sent troops into Yenga to help the army of Sierra Leone suppress the rebel RUF. After the rebels were quashed, the Guinean soldiers remained in Yenga. Prior to the civil war Yenga was administered by the Kailahun District of Sierra Leone. In 2002 Sierra Leone and Guinea signed an agreement than Yenga would be returned to Sierra Leone, as soon as Guinea's border could be secured. In 2005 Sierra Leone and Guinea signed an agreement that Yenga belonged to Sierra Leone. In 2005, tensions were quelled with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two countries: Yenga belonged to Sierra Leone and the Makona belonged to Guinea. The dispute was officially "resolved" in 2019 when President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah announced that "Conakry has now affirmed that Yenga is a part of Sierra Leone". However, in early 2021, President Julius Maada Bio reported to the 58th Ecowas summit that "The issue remains unresolved and our Guinean counterparts have continued to encroach on Sierra Leone's land and sea borders".
Americas
North America TerritoryClaimantsNotes Bajo Nuevo Bank and Serranilla Bank Jamaica and Nicaragua have recognized the sovereignty of Colombia; other claimants have not. On 19 November 2012, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Colombia has sovereignty over Bajo Nuevo Bank and Serranilla. Honduras implicitly recognized Colombian sovereignty in a 1999 maritime delimitation treaty, but continues to claim the two banks in its constitution. Conejo Island Navassa Island The U.S. has claimed the island since 1857, based on the Guano Islands Act of 1856. Haiti's claim over Navassa goes back to the Treaty of Ryswick in 1697 that established French possessions in mainland Hispaniola, which were transferred from Spain by the treaty as well as other specifically named nearby islands. Sapodilla Cayes Guatemala formally claims all of Belize; an International Court of Justice decision over the matter is pending. Entirety of Belize/half of Belize The Guatemalan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement in which Guatemala specifically claims territory between the Sibun and Sarstoon rivers, which makes up around half of Belizean-administered territory. However, Guatemala also claims all of Belize because its historical recognition of British Honduras was contingent on the construction of a road between Guatemala City and the Atlantic Ocean which was never built, an apparent violation of the Wyke-Aycinena Treaty. An International Court of Justice decision over the matter is pending. Archipelago of Puerto Rico Since 2007, the Dominican Republic in Hispaniola considers itself an archipelagic state, encroaching the long-established median or equidistance line dividing the EEZ of the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, and claiming portion of the EEZ claimed by the United States in relation to the archipelago of Puerto Rico, which is itself an unincorporated U.S. territory. The United States does not accept the archipelagic status and maritime boundaries claimed by the Dominican Republic. Victor Prescott, an authority in the field of maritime boundaries, argued that, as the coasts of both states are short coastlines with few offshore islands, an equidistance line is appropriate.Machias Seal IslandClaimed by Canada as part of New Brunswick and by the United States as part of MaineNorth RockGuantanamo Bay Naval Base While the U.S. does not claim the naval base as U.S. territory the Cuban government has since the 1959 Cuban Revolution consistently protested against the U.S. presence on Cuban soil, arguing that the base was imposed on Cuba by force and is illegal under international law. The U.S. claims only mutual agreement or U.S. abandonment of the base can terminate the 1903 treaty which the U.S. claims rightfully leases the territory to them.
South America