UK’s Chagos deal puts spotlight on strategic contest in the Indian Ocean

Decades of dispute over the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, rooted in colonial history and international legal challenges, have been addressed after the United Kingdom agreed to transfer sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius. Under the May 22 deal, the UK retains a 99-year lease on the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands.

Under British colonial rule, the island chain was separated from Mauritius in 1965, three years before Mauritius was granted independence. Around 2,000 Chagos residents were forcibly removed to make way for the building of the military base on Diego Garcia.

In 2019, the International Court of Justice in The Hague issued its “advisory opinion” that the continued UK administration of the Chagos Archipelago was unlawful and should end “as rapidly as possible”. The UN General Assembly subsequently passed a resolution affirming Mauritius’ sovereignty over the archipelago.

The UK government under Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended the deal as necessary to comply with international law and maintain strategic security interests. The deal includes a 24-mile buffer zone around Diego Garcia where nothing can be built without UK consent. It also prohibits foreign military and civilian forces from the Chagos Archipelago, with the UK retaining the power to veto any access.

Mauritius hailed the agreement as a significant victory in its long-standing campaign to regain the Chagos Archipelago. Under the terms, the UK will pay Mauritius £101 million (US$137 million) annually to lease the Diego Garcia base for at least 99 years and establish a £40 million trust fund for the benefit of the Chagos community.

But while the deal addresses sovereignty issues, it leaves questions about the resettlement rights of displaced Chagossians, many of whom seek the right to return.

South China Morning Post