UK to hand over Chagos Islands to Mauritius; retains control of Diego Garcia
In a strategically vital development in the Indian Ocean, the UK has announced to settle a 60-year-old sovereignty dispute with Mauritius over ownership of the Chagos islands.
Under the deal announced on Thursday, the UK will hand over the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) named Chagos archipelago to Mauritius. However, the UK will retain full control over Diego Garcia, a military base on the southern-most island of the archipelago.
A statement from the UK foreign office described the agreement saying, “Mauritius (will) assume sovereignty over BIOT, with the UK authorised to exercise sovereign rights on Diego Garcia.”
This political agreement is subject to a treaty and supporting legal instruments are being finalised. Both sides have committed to complete this as quickly as possible, the UK said.
The US and the UK operate military assets out of Diego Garcia, located some 1,800 km south-west of Kerala, India.
Indian warships and military planes can refuel and restock supplies at the base as India and the US have an agreement to seamlessly share logistics.
The Ministry of External Affairs in a statement said India welcomes the agreement. “This significant understanding completes the decolonisation of Mauritius,” it added. India, that has a longstanding and close partnership with Mauritius, has consistently supported Mauritius’s claim for sovereignty over Chagos, the MEA said.
The UK foreign office said, “The deal ensures long-term secure operation of the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. The operation of the military base is unchanged.”
The status of the base had been disputed with Mauritius claiming ownership of the Chagos, that are a clutch of small islands spread across 30 square kilometres.
The agreement is strongly supported by international partners, including the United States, which issued statement welcoming the move.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said, “Long-term, secure operation of the Diego Garcia military base was under threat, with contested sovereignty and ongoing legal challenges.”
Today’s agreement secures this vital military base for the future, Lammy added.
Britain controlled the region since 1814. It detached the Chagos Islands in 1965 from Mauritius - a former colony that became independent in 1968 - to create the British Indian Ocean Territory.
In the early 1970s, almost 2,000 residents were evicted by the UK to Mauritius and the Seychelles as the lands were needed for an airbase on the largest island, Diego Garcia. The same was leased to the US in 1966.
A non-binding resolution in the United Nations General Assembly in 2019 said Britain should give up control of the islands.
