Britain has agreed to give up sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, ending a long-standing dispute over the United Kingdom’s last African colony.

• This came after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that the UK unlawfully separated the Chagos archipelago from Mauritius before granting it independence

Background of Chagos Islands

• 19th Century: The Chagos Islands were governed from Mauritius, which was then a British colony.
• Mauritius Independence in 1968: While Mauritius gained independence, the Chagos Archipelago remained under British control, with the UK referring to it as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).
• Strategic Importance: The archipelago includes the Diego Garcia airbase, which is strategically significant for both the UK and US.
• Lease of Diego Garcia in 1966: Britain leased Diego Garcia, the largest of the Chagos Islands, to the United States, which sought a military base in the region.
• Recent Developments: The current agreement follows 13 rounds of negotiations, which began in 2022, and comes after rulings in 2019 and 2021 by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations General Assembly, and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), supporting Mauritius’ claim to sovereignty.
• Treaty Provisions: As part of the treaty, the UK will maintain control of the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia but will return the rest of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius.

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About Chagos Archipelago

• Chagos Islands Location: The Chagos Archipelago is located in the central Indian Ocean, south of the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent.
• Key Islands: 
  • Diego Garcia atoll
  • Danger Island
  • Egmont Islands
  • Eagle Islands
  • Nelsons Island
  • Peros Banhos atoll.
• Climate: Tropical marine climate
• The islands form a semicircular group open on the eastern side, with Diego Garcia being the largest and most southerly island, covering an area of 30 km².
• The highest point on the Island  is an ocean-side dune on Diego Garcia, which rises to an elevation of only 9 metres.