Britain agrees to hand sovereignty over Chagos Islands to Mauritius | tidings

Britain has announced it is ceding sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a deal that guarantees the future of the main US military base on Diego Garcia Atoll while also granting the right of return to islanders who have been displaced over the past 50 years.

The agreement, jointly announced by Britain and Mauritius on Thursday, gives Mauritius full sovereignty over the remote archipelago and guarantees the operation of the US base for the next 99 years.

“This government has inherited a situation that threatens the long-term and safe operation of the Diego Garcia military base, sovereignty disputes and ongoing legal challenges,” British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement.

Today's agreement secures this important military base for the future. This will strengthen our role in protecting global security and block the potential for the Indian Ocean to be used as a dangerous route for illegal migration to the UK, as well as ensuring a long-term relationship with Mauritius.

Britain, which had ruled the region since 1814, separated the Chagos Islands from its former colony, Mauritius, in 1965 and became independent three years later, creating the British Indian Ocean Territory.

In the early 1970s, about 1,500 residents were deported to Mauritius and Seychelles to make way for an air force base on the largest island, Diego Garcia. This island was Diego Garcia, leased to the United States in 1966 in exchange for a $14 million discount on the purchase of Polaris missiles.

To avoid violating international law, Britain classified the Chagoss, who had ancestral ties to the territory, as temporary workers until the late 18th century.

Former Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam launched a legal battle to reclaim the territory after U.S. cables were released by WikiLeaks in 2010. Foreign Ministry officials labeled the Chagossian fight for the right of return Man Fridays.

Mauritius regained sovereignty in 2019, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an opinion recommending that Britain should relinquish control of the island, saying it had unfairly forced its population to leave in the 1970s to make way for a US air force base.

A UN resolution later approved by 116 member states gave Britain six months to return the archipelago, but former Conservative government lawmakers, including former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, raised objections that Mauritius could allow China access to the territory. And the negotiations reached a deadlock.

Critics said failure to comply with the terms of the ICJ ruling harms Britain's standing on the world stage and shows a lack of respect for the rules-based international order.

A joint statement released by the UK and Mauritius on Thursday said Mauritius would now be free to implement a resettlement program on islands in the Chagos archipelago, excluding Diego Garcia.

Britain has pledged to set up a new trust fund and other support for the estimated 10,000 Chagossians currently scattered across Mauritius, Seychelles and the United Kingdom.

However, some Chagossian people dispute Mauritian sovereignty and assert their right to self-determination as an indigenous people.

Chagossian Voices, a UK-based community group, fought for participation in the bilateral talks and criticized Britain for failing to consult with it on the issue of devolution to Mauritius.

Chagossian Voices said in a statement to

Chagossians learned of these results through the media and are powerless and voiceless in deciding our own future and the future of our country. The views of the Chagossian people, the island's indigenous people, have been consistently and deliberately ignored and we demand their full inclusion in the drafting of the treaty, he said.

As part of the deal, the UK will also provide a package of financial support to implement projects that will boost economic development in Mauritius.

The two countries will also cooperate on issues such as environmental protection, maritime security, drugs, and human trafficking.

Britain and Mauritius said the political agreement had the support and support of the United States and India.

“This treaty will open a new chapter in our common history by heralding a new era of economic, security and environmental partnership between our two countries,” he said.

US President Joe Biden on Thursday applauded the historic agreement between Britain and Mauritius.

“This clearly shows that through diplomacy and partnerships, countries can overcome long-standing historical challenges and achieve peaceful and mutually beneficial outcomes,” Biden said in a White House statement.

Diego Garcia is nicknamed the Footprint of Freedom due to its shape and strategic location in the Indian Ocean within touching distance of Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, it played a key role in U.S. overseas operations, including dispatching aircraft to Iraq and Afghanistan. Controversially, a Rendition flight landed on the island in 2002, a claim long denied by the United States but confirmed by the British government in 2008.

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