London: The United Kingdom has agreed to hand over sovereignty of the long-contested Chagos Islands, an archipelago of over 60 islands in the Indian Ocean, to Mauritius as part of a deal to secure the future of strategically important UK-US military base at Diego Garcia. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy on Thursday said the agreement was supported by international partners and secured the vital military base for the future.
"The UK and Mauritius have reached a historic agreement to secure the strategically important UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, which plays a crucial role in regional stability and international security. For the first time in more than 50 years, the status of the base will be undisputed and legally secure, following a political agreement between the UK and Mauritius," said the British government in a press release.
The previous government started negotiations on the future of British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT)/Chagos Archipelago, but years after the negotiations began issues have remained unresolved. The Keir Starmer-led government said without today's agreement, the security operation of the military base would remain under threat with contested sovereignty and legal challenges.
"Today’s agreement secures this vital military base for the future. It will strengthen our role in safeguarding global security, shut down any possibility of the Indian Ocean being used as a dangerous illegal migration route to the UK, as well as guaranteeing our long-term relationship with Mauritius, a close Commonwealth partner," said Lammy in a statement.
What is the dispute?
The Chagos Archipelago consists of approximately 58 small, flat islands located in the central Indian Ocean. Historically, the archipelago was considered a dependency of Mauritius, originally a French colony that was later ceded to the UK under the Treaty of Paris in 1814. Mauritius remained under British rule until gaining independence in 1968.
In the years leading up to Mauritius' independence, the UK government, during negotiations, acceded to a US request to lease Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago, for the establishment of a joint military base. As part of this agreement, known as the Lancaster House Agreement, the UK government employed coercive measures to separate the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius before independence and forcibly relocated its inhabitants to Mauritius and Seychelles.
Since the 1980s, Mauritius has contested UK sovereignty over the islands, arguing that the agreement was signed under duress. Additionally, various groups of Chagossians, now dispersed among Seychelles, Mauritius, and the UK, have been advocating for their right to return to their homeland. The UK government split the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius, creating a new colony in Africa, the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), according to a Human Rights Watch report.
India's stand on Chagos Archipelago issue
In July, India reaffirmed its support to Mauritius on the issue of the Chagos Archipelago, a gesture which was swiftly appreciated by the island nation in the Indian Ocean. India's explicit public support regarding the Chagos Archipelago was conveyed by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who was on a two-day visit to Mauritius at the time.
"As we look at our deep and enduring relationship, Prime Minister, I would like to again assure you today that on the issue of Chagos, India will continue its consistent support to Mauritius in line with its principal stand on decolonisation and support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations," S Jaishankar said during an event here along with Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth.
Perhaps driven by a common colonial past – India was a colony of Great Britain – the sentiment was immediately reciprocated by Mauritius’ Foreign Minister Maneesh Gobin. Notably, India has close, long-standing relations with Mauritius, an island nation in the Western Indian Ocean, owing to historical, demographic and cultural reasons. A key reason for the specialities is the fact that Indian-origin people comprise nearly 70 per cent of the island’s population of 1.2 million, as per the Indian High Commission in Mauritius.
(with agency input)
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