Mauritian Foreign Minister and UK Special Envoy React to Chagos Islands Agreement

Mauritian Foreign Minister and the UK’s Special Envoy share their perspectives on the Chagos Islands deal, highlighting its significance for both nations. Discover the key points of the agreement and its impact on the long-standing territorial dispute.

The Mauritian foreign minister remarked on Thursday that the British government’s decision to transfer sovereignty of the long-disputed Chagos Islands to Mauritius rectifies a “historic wrong,” alluding to the displacement of over a thousand islanders around 50 years ago.

Maneesh Gobin lauded the agreement as historic during an interview on Sky News.

“This bodes well for the two sovereign nations that signed today’s joint political statement,” he said.

Under the terms of the agreement, the U.K. will maintain sovereignty over Diego Garcia for an initial duration of 99 years. This location hosts a significant military base operated jointly by the U.S. and U.K., and in return, Mauritius will receive an undisclosed rental payment from Britain.

It will also establish a “resettlement” fund for displaced Chagossians to facilitate their return to islands other than Diego Garcia.

Jonathan Powell, the UK Special Envoy for the Chagossian Islands, mentioned in a different interview with Sky News that Mauritius would be responsible for managing the fund.

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The Chagos Islands, often envisioned as a tropical paradise with their rich greenery and expansive white sandy beaches, have been central to the British Indian Ocean Territory since 1965. This was when they were separated from Mauritius—a former U.K. colony that achieved independence three years subsequent to this event. Located east of Madagascar in southern Africa, Mauritius is situated approximately 2,100 kilometers (1,250 miles) southwest of the Chagos Islands.

After entering into a lease agreement with Britain, the U.S. established a naval base at Diego Garcia for defense purposes during the 1970s. The United States has referred to this base as “an almost indispensable platform” for security operations in regions such as the Middle East, South Asia, and East Africa.

Approximately 1,500 residents of the Chagos Islands were forcibly relocated to establish a U.S. military base. Human Rights Watch stated last year that these actions constituted “crimes against humanity committed by a colonial power against an indigenous people.”

In a statement, the White House announced that President Joe Biden praised the “historic agreement” regarding the status of the Chagos Islands.