The United Kingdom and Mauritius have announced a historic agreement for the cession of the Chagos Islands to Mauritiusending a decades-long territorial dispute. This agreement marks a significant step in the history of the archipelago, which is was separated from Mauritius in 1965when the United Kingdom established it as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).
Since then, Mauritius has claimed its sovereignty over these islands, since its independence in 1968. The Chagos Islands, which include about sixty islands and isletsare mainly uninhabited, with the exception of Diego Garcia, where there is a strategic military base jointly operated by the United Kingdom and the United States.
This basis is of crucial importance for American military operations in the region and for global security, given its location between Europe, India and China. Despite the cession of the islands to Mauritius, the agreement provides that the military base remains operational and will be managed initially by the United Kingdom in collaboration with the United States. The operational modalities and sovereign rights will be defined through a treaty that the two nations undertake to quickly finalize.
In the 1960s the indigenous inhabitants were expelled from the Chagos Islands
The agreement was welcomed by the leaders of both countries. Maneesh Gobin, the Foreign Minister of Mauritius, described the day as “unforgettable”, underlining the significance of the restitution of sovereignty. US President Joe Biden also praised the agreement, highlighting the strategic role of the Diego Garcia base for national and global security.
The Chagos Islands have been at the center of legal and moral controversies, particularly for the forced expulsion of the indigenous inhabitants during the 1960swhen the United Kingdom moved around two thousand people to Mauritius and the Seychelles to make room for the military base. A Human Rights Watch report denounced these actions as crimes against humanityhighlighting the suffering endured by the indigenous inhabitants.
Now this new phase in UK-Mauritius relations represents an opportunity to resolve historical issues and promote a peaceful cooperation between the two nationsalthough challenges related to the military base and indigenous rights remain open.
