Reuters —
In a historic move, Britain has announced that it will hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. This decision will pave the way for people displaced many years ago to return home, while London will still retain use of the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia.
The agreement highlights that the operation of the strategic military base on Diego Garcia, jointly operated with the United States, will continue, ensuring global security. It also enables Mauritius to resettle the rest of the islands, which were previously displaced.
British Foreign Minister David Lammy emphasized the importance of securing the military base for future operations to safeguard global security and strengthen the relationship with Mauritius, while preventing illegal migration to the UK.
This significant agreement marks the end of a long-standing dispute that began when Britain detached the Chagos Islands from Mauritius in 1965, causing displacement of the population to make way for a US airbase.