AlamyGreater than half a century later, Britain has renounced sovereignty over a distant however strategically vital island group within the Indian Ocean.
The deal, negotiated for years, will see the UK hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a historic transfer.
These embrace the tropical atoll of Diego Garcia, which the U.S. authorities makes use of as a army base for naval ships and long-range bombers.
The announcement, introduced in a joint assertion by the prime ministers of Britain and Mauritius, ends a long time of intense negotiations between the 2 international locations.
The U.S. and British base will stay in Diego Garcia – a key think about enabling the deal to go forward at a time of rising geopolitical competitors within the area between Western international locations, India and China.
The settlement continues to be pending treaty finalization, however either side are dedicated to finishing it as quickly as attainable.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth stated in an announcement: “This is a vital second in our relationship and displays our enduring dedication to the peaceable decision of disputes and the rule of regulation. “
The leaders additionally stated they had been dedicated “to making sure the long-term, protected and efficient operation of the present base on Diego Garcia, which performs a significant function in regional and international safety”.
The treaty can even “deal with previous wrongs and display each events’ dedication to assist the welfare of the Chagossian individuals”.
Beneath the deal, the UK can even present Mauritius with a package deal of monetary assist, together with annual funds and infrastructure funding.
Mauritius will have the ability to launch a resettlement program within the Chagos Islands, however not Diego Garcia.
The UK will make sure the operation of the army base for an “preliminary interval” of 99 years.
US President Joe Biden welcomed the “historic settlement”, saying it “clearly demonstrates that by way of diplomacy and partnerships, international locations can overcome long-standing historic challenges and obtain peaceable and mutually helpful outcomes”.
However Frankie Bontemps, a second-generation British Chagossian, informed the BBC he felt “betrayed” and “offended” by the information as a result of “Chagossians have by no means Not concerned within the negotiations.
“We stay powerless and don’t have any say in figuring out our personal future and the way forward for our homeland,” he stated, calling on Chagossians to totally take part in drafting the treaty.
Britain has confronted rising diplomatic isolation in recent times over its claims to the so-called British Indian Ocean territories. UN agencies, including the Supreme Court and the General Assembly, overwhelmingly sided with Mauritius and ask Britain handy over what some people call It’s “Africa’s final colony”.
The Mauritian authorities has lengthy argued that it was illegally pressured to surrender the Chagos Islands in alternate for independence from Britain in 1968.
At the moment, the British authorities had reached a secret settlement with the US and agreed to lease Diego Garcia, the biggest atoll, as a army base.
Britain later apologized for forcibly evicting greater than 1,000 islanders from throughout the archipelago and pledged handy the islands to Mauritius once they had been not wanted for strategic functions.
However till just lately, Britain insisted that Mauritius itself had no official declare to the islands.
For many years, the small island nation of Mauritius has struggled to win critical assist from the worldwide neighborhood on this difficulty.
A small variety of Chagos islanders had been pressured to desert their houses within the late Sixties and early Nineteen Seventies, Taking the British government to court many times.
However solely just lately has worldwide opinion begun to shift.
African international locations started to work collectively on this difficulty and put strain on Britain on decolonization.
Subsequently, Brexit resulted within the reluctance of many European international locations to proceed to assist the British place in worldwide boards.
The Mauritian authorities continues its offensive; accuse The British authorities verbally threatened.
Mauritians started an more and more subtle marketing campaign on the United Nations, within the courts, within the media, and even Land on the islands and plant the flag Not approved within the UK.
Negotiations that led to Thursday’s deal started underneath the earlier British authorities.
However the timing of the breakthrough displays a rising sense of urgency in worldwide affairs, notably over Ukraine, with the UK eager to take away the Chagos difficulty as a barrier to profitable extra international assist, notably from African international locations, and with Chance of second assist.
The Chagossian islanders themselves – some dwell in Mauritius and the Seychelles, however others dwell in Crawley, Sussex – should not have a unified voice concerning the destiny of their homeland.
Some individuals are decided to return to residing on remoted islands, some are extra involved about their rights and standing within the UK, and a few imagine that the standing of the Chagos Islands shouldn’t be resolved by outsiders.
Though successive Conservative and Labor prime ministers have been making an attempt to realize the identical broad targets, sturdy opposition from some voices throughout the UK is to be anticipated.
Conservative management candidate Tom Tugendhat known as the deal a “shameful retreat that undermines our safety and leaves our allies in danger.”
However the historic significance of this second is unquestionable.
Half a century or extra after Britain relinquished management of practically all of its huge international empire, it has lastly agreed handy over the ultimate piece. It might achieve this reluctantly, nevertheless it does so peacefully and legally.
The remaining British abroad territories are: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Saint Helena , Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands. Cyprus additionally has two sovereign bases underneath British jurisdiction.
