Britain has announced it will relinquish sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while maintaining what US President Joe Biden referred to as a “historic agreement” that allows for the retention of a strategic military base in the Indian Ocean alongside the United States.
The British government has faced longstanding pressure to cede control of the islands, yet has resisted due to the crucial role of the Diego Garcia base in US operations across the Indian Ocean and Gulf regions.
“For the first time in over 50 years, the status of the base will be undisputed and legally secure,” stated the UK foreign ministry. A joint statement from Britain and Mauritius confirmed that the base will continue operations under an “initial” 99-year lease.
President Biden praised the ongoing presence of the military base on Diego Garcia – the largest island of the archipelago – which has been notably utilized during conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. The base supports US long-range bombers as well as naval vessels.
Mauritius Foreign Minister Maneesh Gobin called the announcement “a day to remember” and emphasized its significance as a “seminal moment” in his nation’s relations with its former colonial ruler, Britain.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer reported a conversation with his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth, with both leaders expressing their approval of the agreement, according to Downing Street.
Significant Shift
The agreement comes after nearly two years of negotiations and signifies a major shift following decades of the UK rejecting Mauritius’s claims to sovereignty.
At the commencement of discussions in 2023, both parties concurred that the Diego Garcia military base would continue its operations regardless of the negotiations’ outcome.
In 2016, the UK extended the lease of the military base to the US until 2036.
The joint statement from Britain and Mauritius indicated they would collaborate on a treaty that would finalize the agreement, ensuring the operation of Diego Garcia “well into the next century.”
This treaty could also facilitate the potential return of Chagos islanders, who were displaced by the UK during the establishment of the military base in the 1970s.
However, given that there is no permanent population and Diego Garcia is the only livable island remaining off-limits as part of the deal, resettlement appears improbable.
Britain made the decision in 1965 to separate the Chagos Islands from Mauritius to establish a military base, which it subsequently leased to the United States.
This action led to the eviction of thousands of Chagos islanders, who have since pursued various legal claims for compensation in British courts.
The joint statement asserts that the agreement will “address wrongs of the past” and “support the welfare of the Chagossians,” who have been forced into exile, including in the UK.
Nevertheless, Chagossian Voices, which advocates for islanders globally, expressed their discontent at being excluded from the negotiations, stating that they only learned of the agreement through media reports.
“The perspectives of Chagossians, the indigenous residents of the islands, have been systematically and deliberately overlooked, and we demand full participation in the treaty drafting process,” they stated.
Heightening Pressure
Mauritius has laid claim to the archipelago, now known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, since gaining independence in 1968, attracting increasing global support.
In 2019, the International Court of Justice advised Britain to return the remote islands. During court proceedings, the UK acknowledged the “shameful” displacement of islanders but subsequently ignored the ICJ ruling.
Demonstrators from the Chagos Islands protested against Britain’s defiance of a United Nations deadline to end their “illegal occupation” of the Indian Ocean archipelago in Port Louis in 2019
That same year, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution urging Britain to “withdraw its colonial administration.”
Without this agreement, the “long-term, secure operation” of the military base would be jeopardized, the UK’s foreign ministry warned, including potential legal challenges from international courts.
“Today’s agreement guarantees the future of this critical military base,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy stated, adding that the deal would also mitigate the risk of the islands being utilized as a “dangerous illegal migration route to the UK.”
Additionally, the UK revealed a “package of financial support” to Mauritius, which includes an annual payment and an infrastructure partnership.
Claiming to resolve “all outstanding issues between the United Kingdom and Mauritius,” the accord will also facilitate cooperation on environmental matters and irregular migration, according to the joint statement.
