The British government is to hand over sovereignty of the disputed Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a historic deal after years of negotiations, it has emerged.
This includes the tropical atoll of Diego Garcia, used by the UK and United States as an important military base in the Indian ocean which hosts navy ships and long-range bomber aircraft.
The new agreement will secure the two countries’ rights to operate the military base at Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago, for at least the next 99 years.
The Foreign Office said the status of the base will be undisputed and legally secure following the political agreement between the two countries.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: ‘Today’s agreement secures this vital military base for the future.’
An undated file photo shows Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Chagos archipelago and site of a major United States military base in the middle of the Indian Ocean leased from Britain
Chagos is an overseas territory of the UK in the Indian Ocean, between Africa and Indonesia
‘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, a close Commonwealth partner,’ he added.
The government said that Diego Garcia has seen a small number of migrants arrive and launch asylum claims since 2021.
It said the agreement to give Mauritius sovereignty ‘will shut down any possibility of the Indian Ocean being used as a dangerous illegal migration route to the UK, with Mauritius taking responsibility for any future arrivals.’
In a joint statement, Sir Keir Starmer and his Mauritian counterpart, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth, said: ‘Under the terms of this treaty the United Kingdom will agree that Mauritius is sovereign over the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia.’
‘At the same time, both our countries are committed to the need… to ensure the long-term, secure and effective operation of the existing base on Diego Garcia which plays a vital role in regional and global security.’
They added that the treaty will also ‘address wrongs of the past and demonstrate the commitment of both parties to support the welfare of Chagossians.’
The agreement is still yet to be finalised, but both sides are said to have committed to completing it as quickly as possible.
