After decades of legal battles, Britain has agreed to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, a former colony. The remote Indian Ocean archipelago will continue to host a US military base, but Chagossians exiled to make way for the base in the 1960s and 70s are questioning whether the deal can truly rectify past wrongs.
The agreement made on 3 October comes after nearly two years of negotiations and marks a significant turnaround after decades of British dismissals of Mauritian sovereignty claims.
Mauritius has claimed the Chagos archipelago – renamed the British Indian Ocean Territory – since its independence in 1968 and has garnered increased international support.
Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth told his British counterpart Keir Starmer that the deal showed how a small country can "win justice against major powers".
He added: "Today, 56 years after our independence, our decolonisation is complete. Now our national anthem can sound out even louder across our territory."
Mauritian Foreign Minister Maneesh Gobin shared this sentiment on X, saying that 3 October would be “a day to remember”.
He described the agreement as “historic for respectful international law and diplomacy” and said it addresses historical wrongs while recognising the sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations.
Strategic military base
Located several hundred kilometres south of the Maldives, the Chagos Islands were colonised by France in the 18th century, ceded to Britain in 1814 and merged with Mauritius in 1903.
In 1965 Britain separated the Chagos islands from the rest of Mauritius, paying £3 million for them, the equivalent of around £50 million (€59 million) today.
In 1966, Britain leased the islands to the United States for 50 years to set up a military base on Diego Garcia island. That deal was renewed in 2016.
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The strategic military base's continued operation is central to the 3 October deal. At the start of talks in 2023, both sides agreed that the base would remain operational regardless of the outcome.
Britain's Foreign Ministry argued that without the agreement, “the long-term, secure operation” of the military base would be at risk, especially with potential legal challenges from international courts.
“The agreement secures this vital military base for the future,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy said, adding that the deal would prevent the islands from being used as a “dangerous illegal migration route to the UK”.
A joint British-Mauritian statement confirmed that the base would remain open on an initial 99-year lease.
US President Joe Biden hailed the "historic agreement" to keep open a facility that "plays a vital role in national, regional, and global security".
The base is used by US long-range bombers and ships and was notably used during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Additionally, the UK announced a “package of financial support” to Mauritius, including an annual payment and an infrastructure partnership. The two countries also agreed to cooperate on environmental issues and irregular migration.
Addressing past wrongs
Despite the enthusiasm from officials that the deal will resolve “wrongs of the past”, not everyone is satisfied. One ongoing issue is the plight of local people who were forced into exile when the military base was built.
Between 1968 and 1973, around 2,000 Chagossians were evicted, a move described in a British diplomatic cable at the time as the removal of a “few Tarzans and Man Fridays”.
Today, around 10,000 Chagossians and their descendants are spread between Mauritius, the Seychelles and Britain.
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Over the years, apart from a compensation settlement in 1982, British authorities have consistently blocked the possibility of allowing Chagossians to return home. Chagossian Voices, a group representing exiled islanders, said it was excluded from the most recent talks.
“The views of Chagossians, the indigenous inhabitants of the islands, have been consistently and deliberately ignored and we demand full inclusion in the drafting of the treaty,” Chagossian Voices said.
In February 2023, Human Rights Watch published a report accusing the UK and the US of committing crimes against humanity by displacing indigenous populations.
Turning point
In 2019 the International Court of Justice advised Britain to hand over the remote islands. During the hearings, the UK apologised for the "shameful" eviction of islanders, but ignored the ICJ ruling at the time.
The same year, the UN General Assembly also passed a resolution calling on Britain to "withdraw its colonial administration".
Regardless of the next steps, the deal marks a huge shift in post-colonial relations between the UK and Mauritius, possibly serving as a blueprint for other countries.
African Union chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat wrote on X that the October deal “marks a major victory for the cause of decolonisation, international law and the rightful self-determination of the people of Mauritius”.
Philippe Sands, a Franco-British lawyer who defended Mauritius for 15 years in the case, said that the 2019 ICJ ruling was crucial to achieving this outcome.
“This is a great moment for Mauritians. It is a win-win agreement that shows that international law can be useful,” he told RFI's correspondent in The Hague.
(with newswires)
