The United Kingdom on Thursday signed an agreement returning the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius, while securing the continued operation of a joint British-American military base on one of the islands in this strategically vital region of the Indian Ocean.

“A short while ago, I signed a deal safeguarding the joint UK-US base on Diego Garcia. It is essential for our defence and intelligence, and therefore for the security of the British people,” said Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Under the terms of the agreement, Diego Garcia—the largest island in the Chagos Archipelago—has been formally handed back to Mauritius. However, the UK has leased the territory for 99 years, with the option to extend the arrangement. London will pay £101 million annually for the lease.

The Chagos Archipelago comprises over 60 small but strategically positioned islands, which were administratively linked to Mauritius until 1965. In the run-up to Mauritius gaining independence, Britain separated the islands to form the British Indian Ocean Territory. At the time, and in preparation for a US military base on Diego Garcia—the only inhabited island in the archipelago—the local population was forcibly removed.

The decision faced strong criticism from the opposition. 

“Chagos has been ours since 1814. It hosts a vital military base. Surrendering it to Mauritius is an act of national self-harm. It leaves us more exposed to China, and ignores the will of the Chagossian people,” head of the Tory party Kemi Badenoch wrote in an X post. 

Mauritius has long argued that it was coerced into ceding the Chagos Islands in exchange for British consent to its independence. For decades, the country struggled to gain international support for its claims. In recent years, however, the tide began to turn, as Mauritius won backing from African nations and various UN bodies, prompting the previous British government to enter into negotiations.

In October last year, the UK agreed to recognise Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, on the condition that the joint military base with the United States on Diego Garcia would remain in place.

Source: PAP

Photo: @SamuelBashfield and @Keir_Starmer

Tomasz Modrzejewski