Britain has agreed to give up sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, ending a long-standing dispute over the United Kingdom’s last African colony, after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that the UK unlawfully separated the Chagos archipelago from Mauritius before granting it independence.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the UK expelled the Chagossians, in what has been labelled a crime against humanity, retaining control of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) after Mauritius gained independence in 1968.
This agreement comes after 13 rounds of negotiations, which began in 2022. In 2019 and 2021, the ICJ, the United Nations General Assembly, and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (Itlos) supported Mauritius’ claim to sovereignty.
Although the UK initially resisted the court’s rulings, calling them “advisory opinions,” it has now agreed to the handover.
As part of the treaty, the UK will, however, keep control of the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia. In the past, the UK expelled 1,500 to 2,000 islanders to lease the island to the US for military purposes, with both countries jointly operating the base. The treaty also allows the right to return to all islands in the Chagos archipelago, except Diego Garcia.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated the agreement secures the future of the military base while strengthening ties with Mauritius. US President Joe Biden praised the deal as a positive example of resolving historical disputes.
US President Joe Biden also hailed the agreement, stating it would ensure the continued operation of the airbase at Diego Garcia well into the next century. In a statement, he emphasised the significance of the joint US-UK military facility for “national, regional, and global security.”
Britain, which has controlled the Chagos Islands since 1814, separated the islands from Mauritius in 1965 — three years before Mauritius gained independence — to establish the British Indian Ocean Territory. In the early 1970s, nearly 2,000 residents were forcibly relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles to make way for an airbase on Diego Garcia, the largest island, which was leased to the United States in 1966.
A non-binding UN General Assembly resolution in 2019 called on Britain to relinquish control of the islands, citing the forced eviction of the population as unlawful. Despite this, the UK Foreign Ministry extended the lease for Diego Garcia until 2036 in 2016, reaffirming that the displaced islanders would not be permitted to return.
The campaign for Mauritian sovereignty included a notable moment in 2022 when Mauritian ambassador Jagdish Koonjul raised his country’s flag over Peros Banhos.
While some Chagossians hope to return, only around 50 are expected to do so. Others expressd concerns that their identity may be diluted if the islands become part of Mauritius, which does not see the archipelago as a separate entity, as per a report by The Guardian.
The deal signals a shift in approach under new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who after his Labour Party came to power in July, emphasised that his government would prioritise respect for international law.
In a statement following a call with Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, Starmer’s office noted that he highlighted his unwavering commitment to national and global security, which formed the basis of the political agreement reached.
(With Inputs from Reuters)
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