Great Britain releases Chagos Islands-what does that mean for Mauritius?

Great Britain releases Chagos Islands-what does that mean for Mauritius?

Chagos-Inseln, Mauritius - On May 23, 2025, Great Britain officially handed over sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Prime Minister Keir Strander signed an agreement that marks the end of British control over the controversial archipelago. Diego Garcia, the largest island, will remain under British control for at least 99 years. This agreement also brings financial aspects: Great Britain plans to pay Mauritius a billion dollar amount to regulate the handover.

The Chagos Islands, which are in the Indian Ocean, are of strategic importance for the United Kingdom, in particular due to their role as a location of an important US military base. This basis is crucial for military operations in the Middle East as well as in South Asia and East Africa. The military base includes an airfield, a low -water port and support systems for GPS as well as monitoring nuclear attempts.

history and forced relocation

The Chagos Islands have been under British control since 1814 and were separated from Mauritius in 1965, three years before the country's independence. At that time, around 1,500 people lived on the islands, most of which were forced by British authorities in the 1960s and 1970s to make room for the US military base. This forced relocation has been referred to by human rights organizations as crimes against humanity, and the former residents, the Chagossians, have been fighting for decades for decades.

The draft of the agreement to return sovereignty provides for the creation of a return fund for the displaced Chagossians. However, the exact details of these financial regulations remain unclear, and there are widespread distrust of the Mauritian government's obligations to grant the Chagossians return rights.

political reactions

The decision to give up sovereignty was both welcomed and criticized in Great Britain. Conservative politicians have described the agreement as a sale of British interests. In an earlier procedure, a British judge had temporarily stopped signing the agreement, which had delayed the negotiations. The support of the International Court of Justice and the UN General Assembly for Mauritius ’claim to the Chagos Islands has nevertheless influenced Britain's procedure.

Prime Minister Straße defended the deal, which is said to cost around £ 3.4 billion (approx. 4 billion euros). However, critics fear that the return of the Chagossians could be linked to requirements that significantly restrict the economic perspectives of the returnees. The current political situation in Mauritius and the needs of the Chagossians continue to leave the future of the archipelago uncertain.

The Chagos Islands are an example of the complex geopolitical questions that are linked to colonial history and modern military strategy. The fate of the Chagossians remains a central topic in the discussions about the sovereignty and identity of this region.

For more information, visit the reports from OE24 , Independent.co.co.uk and NZZ.CH