A U.K.-Mauritius deal recognizing the latter’s claim to the Chagos Islands in the Western Indian Ocean could be in trouble as Mauritius seeks to renegotiate it. The agreement was reached in October, but no formal treaty was signed by the two countries. Following elections in Mauritius in November, the new prime minister, Navin Ramgoolam, ordered a review of the deal, saying the draft agreement “would not produce the benefits” the island nation expects. Chagos, a cluster of more than 55 coral islands in the Indian Ocean, was initially administered as a British colony alongside Mauritius until 1965, when the U.K. carved it into the British Indian Ocean Territory. Mauritius gained independence in 1968, but the U.K. retained control of Chagos, allowing the U.S. to establish a military base on the largest of its islands, Diego Garcia. Consequently, about 2,000 Chagossians were expelled between 1968 and 1973, in what Human Rights Watch has called a “crime against humanity.” Mauritius brought a case to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) challenging British control of Chagos. In 2019, the ICJ gave an advisory opinion in favor of Mauritius. However, the U.K. continued denying Mauritian claims until its October 2024 announcement, when it said it would cede sovereignty of Chagos to Mauritius, but maintain authority over Diego Garcia for military purposes for an initial period of 99 years. Some Chagossians see the continued U.K. control of Diego Garcia as a betrayal. The announcement was also thin on details concerning the future of the Chagossians,…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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