The British Labor government announced this Thursday (10/3/2024) that it had reached an agreement with the Republic of Mauritius to transfer sovereignty to the Chagos Archipelago, which includes 55 islands – among them Diego García – and that the Indian Ocean State has since no longer claimed. became a British colony in 1968. The treaty would allow Britain to maintain joint military bases with the United States.

The British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, and the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, indicated in a statement that the agreement, which concluded after two years of negotiations, would culminate in an agreement being completed “as soon as possible”. Under the agreement, Britain would accept Mauritius, located on the southeastern coast of Africa, as ruler of the islands.

However, for an initial period of 99 years, the UK will be able to exercise sovereign rights over Diego Garcia “as necessary to ensure the continued operation of the base into the next century.” The agreement will ensure “the safe, effective and long-term operation of the existing base in Diego Garcia, which plays an important role in regional and global security,” the statement said.

There is a suggestion from the International Court of Justice

“For the first time in more than 50 years, the base’s status will be undisputed and legally secure, following a political agreement between the UK and Mauritius. The agreement underlies the UK’s strong duty to maintain the country’s security, without changing the way the base operates. military bases, in an increasingly volatile world,” the British Foreign Office said in a statement.

US President Joe Biden praised the agreement and maintenance of the joint military base in Diego Garcia. “I applaud the historic agreement and the conclusion of negotiations,” Biden said in a statement, backing the British government’s assertion that the joint military site “plays a critical role in national, regional and global security.”

The Republic of Mauritius, an African country consisting of a group of islands, almost 1,000 kilometers east of Madagascar, has claimed the archipelago since 1968. Britain deported about 2,000 Chagossians to Mauritius and the Seychelles to make way for the base. while Mauritius accused Britain of “illegal occupation”.

In 2019, the International Court of Justice, based in The Hague, advised Britain to relinquish control of the islands. The surrender received international support and the UN General Assembly supported Britain’s withdrawal in 2022.

DZC (EFE, AFP)