Earlier this month, the UK government announced that it is to relinquish sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, a remote cluster of islands in the Indian Ocean which the African country of Mauritius has long laid a claim to.
The islands are considered to be of strategic significance both because of their geographic location between continents in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and because they are home to a joint US-UK military base at Diego Garcia. Under the terms of the deal announced at the start of October, Mauritius will assume full sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, including Diego Garcia, and receive a package of financial support from the British government. However, the UK will be authorised to continue operating its military base at Diego Garcia for an initial period of 99 years.
In a joint statement with the Mauritian President Prithvirajsing Roopun, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the upcoming treaty finalising this agreement will address wrongs of the past and demonstrate the commitment of both parties to support the welfare of Chagossians.
It will also herald a new era of economic, security, and environmental partnership between our two nations.
This announcement and its timing largely took foreign policy analysts by surprise, even though the former Conservative-led government agreed to open talks with Mauritius over the status of the islands back in November 2022.
