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Chagos Islands
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Recently, the United Kingdom announced it would transfer sovereignty of the strategically important Chagos Islands to Mauritius, marking what it described as a “historic political agreement.”
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- The UK has long controlled the Chagos Islands, including the key Diego Garcia military base, which it operates jointly with the United States.
- The agreement resolves the contested sovereignty over Britain’s last overseas territory in Africa, while also securing the future of the Diego Garcia base.
- A joint statement from the UK and Mauritius noted that the agreement had the full support and assistance of the United States and India.
The Chagos Archipelago
- It consists of 58 islands located around 500 km south of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean.
- The islands were uninhabited until the late 18th century when the French brought enslaved labourers from Africa and India to work in coconut plantations.
- France ceded the islands to Britain in 1814.
- In 1965, the UK formed the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), with the Chagos Islands at its core.
- Other BIOT islands were later transferred to the Seychelles in 1976 when it gained independence.
- Although Chagos was originally administered as part of Mauritius, another British colony, it remained with the UK when Mauritius gained independence in 1968.
- The UK compensated Mauritius with a grant of £3 million for the “detachment” of the islands.
- Diego Garcia became a fully operational military base in 1986.
- Its strategic location has made it a crucial hub for US military operations, particularly during the Gulf War, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is also reportedly linked to post-9/11 CIA detention operations.
Mauritius’ Claim to Sovereignty
- Mauritius has long argued that the UK’s occupation of Chagos is illegal and has raised the issue in numerous international forums.
- In 2017, the UN General Assembly referred the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which, in 2019, advised that the UK should withdraw from the Chagos archipelago.
- The UNGA subsequently passed a resolution endorsing this opinion, calling for the UK to end its colonial administration in Chagos within six months.
The UK-Mauritius Agreement
- The agreement between the UK and Mauritius represents a compromise.
- The UK has ceded its sovereignty over most of the Chagos Islands, allowing Mauritius to implement a resettlement program for displaced Chagossians on all islands except Diego Garcia.
- Additionally, the UK has pledged to establish a new trust fund for the benefit of Chagossians.
- Crucially, the agreement allows the Diego Garcia military base to remain operational for an initial period of 99 years, with the UK retaining sovereign rights over the island.
India’s Stand
- India, having itself been a former British colony, has consistently supported Mauritius’ claims over the Chagos Islands.
- It backed Mauritius in a UNGA vote in 2019.
- India has also strengthened its ties with Mauritius in recent years, countering China’s growing influence in the Indian Ocean.
Earlier this year, India inaugurated an airstrip and jetty in Agaléga, a two-island dependency of Mauritius in the Western Indian Ocean, further solidifying their strategic partnership.