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UK Agrees to Transfer Sovereignty of Chagos Islands to Mauritius

After years of negotiations, the UK has agreed to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The deal was formalized in a joint statement by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth on Thursday.

UK Agrees to Transfer Sovereignty of Chagos Islands to Mauritius

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The UK has held control over the Chagos Islands since 1814 when they were incorporated into British colonial territory. Mauritius, then a British colony had sovereignty over the archipelago.

In 1965, three years before Mauritius gained independence, the UK separated the Chagos Islands from Mauritius to form the British Indian Ocean Territory. This detachment was made specifically to facilitate military operations particularly on Diego Garcia.

By the early 1970s, nearly 2,000 residents of the Chagos Islands were forcibly removed to make way for the construction of a joint UK-US airbase on Diego Garcia.

The Chagossians were relocated primarily to Mauritius and Seychelles, where they faced economic hardship and decades of displacement.

Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos Archipelago has been a crucial military base in the Indian Ocean. Established in 1966, it has served as an asset for US and UK defense operations in the region. It has played pivotal roles in conflicts ranging from the Cold War to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

While the UK is ceding sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, the agreement ensures that the Diego Garcia base remains operational and secure.

The UK and Mauritius have mutually committed to maintaining the base’s role in safeguarding regional and global security for the future.

In 2019, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion stating that the UK’s continued occupation of the Chagos Islands was unlawful and urged it to return the archipelago to Mauritius.

This ruling intensified pressure on the UK to resolve the dispute with the United Nations General Assembly backing the court’s recommendation.

Various international bodies including the UN and the Commonwealth, have supported Mauritius in its claims of sovereignty over the Chagos Islands.

The tropical atoll of Diego Garcia will continue to operate as a joint US-UK military base for at least 99 more years. This base serves a critical role in the region’s geopolitical security in light of growing rivalries between Western powers, China and India.

The US maintains a large military presence on Diego Garcia, supported the decision with President Joe Biden praising the historic deal.

Various international bodies including the International Court of Justice, the UN General Assembly and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, ruled in favor of Mauritius’ claim over the archipelago.

In 2019, the ICJ declared that Britain’s separation of the islands from Mauritius in 1968 was illegal. Despite these rulings, the UK initially defied calls to surrender the islands, citing that the ICJ’s ruling was advisory.

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Between the late 1960s and early 1970s, over 1,000 Chagossians were forcibly removed from their homeland as the UK leased Diego Garcia to the US for military purposes.

This move has been described by some as a crime against humanity. Many Chagossians were resettled in Mauritius and the Seychelles, while others eventually moved to the UK specifically to Crawley, West Sussex.

The displacement of these islanders has been an issue in the dispute. The treaty between the UK and Mauritius will aim to address wrongs of the past by supporting the welfare of the displaced Chagossian community through financial compensation, infrastructure development and potential resettlement, though not on Diego Garcia.

For years, Mauritius struggled to gain global support for its claim over the Chagos Islands. However, a campaign in recent years involving diplomatic efforts at the UN, legal action in international courts and public campaigns, turned the tide in favor of Mauritius.

A turning point in the campaign occurred when Mauritius planted its flag on the islands without British authorization.

Mauritius maintained that it was forced to give up the islands under duress when it gained independence in 1968, a claim that was eventually recognized by multiple international bodies.

The UK’s exit from the European Union led to a realignment in its international relations. European nations became less inclined to support the UK’s stance in international forums.

As part of the agreement, the UK has pledged a financial support package to Mauritius. This package includes annual indexed payments that will be used to fund economic development projects within Mauritius, with a specific focus on infrastructure and development initiatives.

A new trust fund will be established to support the welfare of the Chagossian people. This fund will help address the historical wrongs of their displacement.

The agreement signifies a new phase in UK-Mauritius relations with both countries committed to boosting economic development in Mauritius. A transformative infrastructure partnership funded by the UK and it will focus on projects that aim to create lasting economic change for the country.

One of the elements of the treaty involves environmental stewardship of the Chagos Islands. The two nations will work together to protect the archipelago’s fragile marine ecosystem with the establishment of a Mauritian Marine Protected Area being a key feature of their environmental efforts.

The agreement also strengthens collaboration between the UK and Mauritius on maritime security. Both nations will work to combat illegal fishing, people trafficking and drug trafficking within the waters surrounding the Chagos Islands.

The UK’s Foreign Minister, David Lammy addressed that the agreement would prevent the use of the Indian Ocean as a route for illegal migration to the UK.

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