U.Ok. arms over sovereignty of Chagos Islands to Mauritius in deal to safe U.S. base

File picture of gas tanks on the fringe of a miltary airstrip on Diego Garcia, largest island within the Chagos archipelago and web site of a significant United States navy base in the midst of the Indian Ocean leased from Britain in 1966.
| Picture Credit score: Reuters

Britain’s authorities mentioned Thursday (October 3, 2024) it agreed handy sovereignty of the long-contested Chagos Islands, an archipelago of greater than 60 islands within the Indian Ocean, to Mauritius, in a deal that secures the way forward for a strategically necessary U.Ok.-U.S. navy base there.

British International Secretary David Lammy mentioned the settlement secures the important navy base at Diego Garcia, the most important within the chain of islands, for the longer term.

The U.Ok. authorities mentioned with out the deal the safe operation of the navy base can be beneath menace, with contested sovereignty and authorized challenges, together with via numerous worldwide courts and tribunals. As a part of the deal, the U.Ok. will retain sovereignty of Diego Garcia for an preliminary interval of 99 years.

“It would strengthen our position in safeguarding world safety, shut down any chance of the Indian Ocean getting used as a harmful unlawful migration path to the U.Ok., in addition to guaranteeing our long-term relationship with Mauritius, an in depth Commonwealth accomplice,” Mr. Lammy mentioned.

The deal was strongly supported by worldwide companions together with the U.S., British officers mentioned.

The settlement must be signed off in a treaty and depends on authorized processes being finalized. Each side have dedicated to finish this as rapidly as doable.

The Chagos Islands have been on the coronary heart of what Britain calls the British Indian Ocean Territory since 1965 once they have been siphoned away from Mauritius, a U.Ok. territory that gained independence three years later.

The U.S. Navy base at Diego Garcia was constructed within the Nineteen Seventies and offers what American authorities have described as “an all however indispensable platform” for safety operations within the Center East, South Asia and East Africa.

Round 1,500 inhabitants from the Chagos Islands have been displaced to make means for the U.S. base. It is unclear instantly whether or not they and their descendants, who’re primarily residing within the U.Ok., Mauritius and the Seychelles, can have a proper to return.

In a press release, the White Home mentioned President Joe Biden applauded the “historic settlement” on the standing of the Chagos Islands. It referred to as the Diego Garcia base important in preserving “nationwide, regional, and world safety”.

“The settlement secures the efficient operation of the joint facility on Diego Garcia into the following century,” the assertion mentioned. “This settlement affirms Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, whereas granting the UK the authority to train the sovereign rights of Mauritius with respect to Diego Garcia.”