U.K. to Return Chagos Islands to Mauritius, Ending Colonial-Era Dispute

Europe|U.K. to Return Chagos Islands to Mauritius, Ending Colonial-Era Dispute

Britain said on Thursday that it would hand over the Chagos Islands, a necklace of tropical islands in the Indian Ocean, to Mauritius, ending lengthy, sometimes contentious negotiations that raised questions about Britain’s colonial legacy, as well as about geopolitical rivalries in a contested part of the world.

Under the terms of the agreement, announced by the governments of the two countries, Mauritius is to assume sovereignty over the remote archipelago, but the United States will continue to use a strategically significant air base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands in the chain.

“The United Kingdom will agree that Mauritius is sovereign over the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain and Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth of Mauritius said in a statement.

Both countries were committed to the “long-term, secure and effective operation of the existing base on Diego Garcia, which plays a vital role in regional and global security,” the statement noted.

Britain’s control of the Chagos Islands has come under increased criticism in recent years, with the United Nations and international courts agreeing with Mauritius’ claim that it was illegally forced to surrender the islands when it obtained its independence from Britain in 1968.

Formal negotiations between Britain and Mauritius over the Chagos began in 2022, during the Conservative government at the time, having gained momentum when African countries began pressing Britain to hand over sovereignty. The Chagos, some said, were Britain’s “last colony in Africa.”

This is a developing story.