Know about Chagos Islands, whose control UK has reliquished, and which hosts Diego Garcia military base

In a historic decision, the United Kingdom handed over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after over two centuries of control, a move that would allow hundreds of displaced islanders to return to their homeland.

India played a quiet yet key role in facilitating the agreement between the UK and Mauritius, having always supported the claim of Mauritius to the island, which includes Diego Garcia where the United States operates a military base under lease from Britain.

India welcomed the deal, calling it a part of decolonisation even as the UK said it would continue to have the right to use the base in Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago. New Delhi said it was a positive outcome for all the parties, and a move that will enhance long-term security in the Indian Ocean. 

After the agreement was announced, Britain and Mauritius issued a joint statement, expressing their commitment to address "historical injustices" and working for the welfare of the Chagossian people. 

"This government inherited a situation where the long-term, secure operation of the Diego Garcia military base was under threat, with contested sovereignty and ongoing legal challenges," said UK Foreign Minister David Lammy in a statement. "The agreement secures this vital military base for the future. It will strengthen our role in safeguarding global security, shut down any possibility of the Indian Ocean being used as a dangerous illegal migration route to the UK, as well as guaranteeing our long-term relationship with Mauritius." 

Watch: UK Agrees To Return Chagos Islands To Mauritius, Ending Decades-Long Dispute

Mauritius Foreign Minister Maneesh Gobin hailed the agreement as "historic". "3rd October 2024. A day to remember. A day to commemorate full sovereignty of the Republic of Mauritius over the entirety of its territory," he wrote on X.

US President Joe Biden described the pact as a "historic settlement." “It is a clear demonstration that through diplomacy and partnership, countries can overcome long-standing historical challenges to reach peaceful and mutually beneficial outcomes,” he said in a White House statement.

Also read: UK-Mauritius Chagos archipelago agreement: India played quiet but crucial role in deal, says report

Mauritius will now launch a programme to resettle the Chagossians to their islands and the UK will help with a trust fund that will provide the people of the islands with additional support.

Chagos Islands was caught in history, politics and warfare: What you should know

In 2019, the International Court of Justice asked the UK to let go of its control of the Chagos Islands, which it governed since 1814. The court's opinion came at the end of a long and sad saga for the Chagossians. 

Chagos Islands, a strategically significant archipelago in the Indian Ocean, comprises over 60 islands. Diego Garcia, the largest of these islands, is of military importance because of the US airbase.

The islands were largely uninhabited till around 1783, when the French settlers brought African slaves to work in the coconut plantations they had established there.

The British took control of the islands and nearby Mauritius in 1814, following the Napoleonic Wars which the French lost, leading to Napoleon’s abdication and exile.

It was governed as part of British Mauritius, and Indian indentured labourers were brought to the islands, as well as Mauritius, when slavery was abolished.

Chagos became a contentious land at the height of the Cold War in the 1960s when the US was looking for a military base in the Indian Ocean region. In 1965, Britain separated the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius and turned it into a British Indian Ocean Territory. It then leased Diego Garcia to the US to build the military base which started operating in 1971.

To facilitate the US, Britain forcibly displaced around 2,000 indigenous Chagossians from the island.

During this depopulation process, from 1967 to 1973, the Chagossians were moved thousands of miles away to Mauritius and Seychelles against their will.

In 1968, Mauritius gained independence from Britain, which retained its control of the Chagos Islands.

Diego Garcia's military base played a crucial role for the US during its wars in the Gulf and Afghanistan.

In its advisory opinion in 2019, the ICJ called for the end of the British administration of Chagos Island, noting that its decolonisation of Mauritius was incomplete.

Over the years, the Chagossians sought the right to return to their homeland, engaging in long-drawn legal battles, which went all the way up to the ICJ. Their struggles became a key aspect of the cruelties of colonialism and human rights violations.

(With inputs from agencies)