After years of effort, Britain is finally ceding sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, but with one big catch: the joint UK-US military base on the biggest island stays. London will retain control of Diego Garcia for 99 years, paying Mauritius an undisclosed annual rent. The base is home to around 2,500 personnel.
Some 1,500 Chagossians were forcefully expelled to make way for the base in the 1970s, and many have lived in squalor ever since. Despite Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth hailing the deal as the “completion of decolonisation,” UK-based group Chagossian Voices slammed the exclusion of Britain’s victims from negotiations.
The UK had previously thought up ways to ensure the original inhabitants do not return, including plans to turn the Chagos Islands into a marine reserve. Sections of Britain’s establishment have opposed the transfer, citing fears of China getting a lease.