Written by Anoushka Patel
Edited by Rebecca Oxtot and Annika Lilja
After years of negotiations, a deal has finally been reached between the UK and Mauritian governments which will return the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands back to Mauritius.
Britain detached the Chagos Islands from Mauritius in 1965 to create the Indian Ocean Territory, thus enabling Mauritius to secure its independence three years later. In the early 1970s, Britain evicted more than 1,000 residents to Mauritius and Seychelles to make way for a military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island, which it had leased to the United States in 1966 (BBC News). In 2016, the UK extended Diego Garcia's lease until 2036 and declared the expelled islanders would not be able to return.
Although Britain has apologised for forcibly removing the Chagos Islanders, until recently, it had maintained that Mauritius had no legitimate claim to the islands.
However, mounting pressure from the international community over the past few years can be seen as a motivating factor behind the deal. A non-binding resolution in the United Nations General Assembly in 2019 said Britain should relinquish the archipelago after wrongfully forcing the population to leave (BBC News). The International Court of Justice previously ruled the UK's administration of the island, that some had called its "last colony in Africa," was "unlawful" and must end (Al Jazeera).
Additionally, the African Union, a collective of 55 African member states, has actively backed Mauritius’ claims since 2018, encouraging legal actions to claim sovereignty over the Chagos Islands (BBC News).
In an increasingly hostile geopolitical environment, with African nations fostering closer ties with Russia and China, the deal can be regarded as an attempt to ensure the UK is not isolated in international affairs.
Part of the deal involves the UK providing an unspecified package of financial support to Mauritius, as well as arranging a programme of resettlement on all the islands, bar Diego Garcia.
The US military base – which is critical for US air and naval operations across the Indo-Pacific - will remain in operation in Diego Garcia for “an initial period” of 99 years (Reuters).
Although negotiations for the deal were initiated under the previous Conservative government, there has been backlash from some quarters of the party, with Conservative leadership party candidate Tom Tugendhat arguing that the deal had been made “against Britain’s interests” (Reuters). He called it a “shameful retreat” that leaves “allies exposed,” with fellow leadership candidate James Cleverly echoing this sentiment by calling it a “weak” deal (Reuters).
This is arguably due to Mauritius being a strong ally of China, and there are concerns that the deal could open the possibility of China establishing its own military base in the Indian Ocean.
There has also been a split opinion amongst Chagos Islanders and their descendants, who are dispersed between Mauritius, Seychelles and the UK. While some Chagossians wish to return to their homeland, others believe their voices have gone unheard over their right to self-determination.
British-based diaspora group Chagossian Voices said in a statement on Facebook as reported by the BBC that it deplored “the exclusion of the Chagossian community from the negotiations” and that “Chagossians... remain powerless and voiceless in determining our own future and the future of our homeland.”
However, the UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the deal settled the issue of sovereignty over the island while closing “a potential illegal migration route.” This is due to the presence of 56 Sri Lankan Tamil migrants, who arrived on Diego Garcia and claimed asylum in 2021, after their boat ran into trouble. The deal has meant that the migrants could temporarily be relocated to Romania, and after six months, they could be moved to the UK, and some migrants have reportedly been offered financial incentives to return to Sri Lanka, according to the BBC. US President Joe Biden also welcomed the deal, saying it was a “clear demonstration that through diplomacy and partnership, countries can overcome long-standing historical challenges to reach peaceful and mutually beneficial outcomes” (BBC News).
Despite controversies, the historic nature of the deal cannot be understated. It marks a decisive turning point in the UK’s history, cementing its commitment to decolonisation. But it can also be interpreted as a sign of the West’s waning influence in Africa and the Indo-Pacific, creating a power vacuum that adversaries like China can exploit for their own gain.
Sources:
Davies, M. and Hagan, R. (2024) UK deal to hand over Chagos Islands criticised over lack of say for Chagossians, BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy78ejg71exo
Harding, A. (2024) UK hands sovereignty of Chagos Islands to Mauritius, BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c98ynejg4l5o
Lawal, S. (2024) Why is the UK handing the Chagos Islands back to mauritius?, Al Jazeera. Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/10/4/why-is-the-uk-handing-the-chagos-islands-back-to-mauritius
Natarajan, S. and Cuddy, A. (2024) Chagos Islands: UK offers Romania move to stranded migrants, BBC News. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1340gd8k05o
Smout, A., Holden, M. and Anganan, V. (2024) UK cedes Chagos Island Sovereignty to Mauritius, retains Diego Garcia Airbase, Reuters. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/world/britain-agrees-chagos-island-sovereignty-deal-with-mauritius-2024-10-03/.