United Kingdom (UK) has agreed to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. This follows the time when Britain bought the Chagos Islands for only $4 million, back in the year 1965.
After buying the island, Britain displaced more than 1,000 people. The United Nations court ruled the United Kingdom that has no sovereignty over the islands.
As per the reports from Britain, on Thursday, cede sovereignty of Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a deal, it is said that the upcoming future of the UK-US Diego Garcia military base, can pave the way for people who were displaced decades ago to return home.
Considering this, US President – Joe Biden welcomed the deal and said that it would secure the effective operation of Diego Garcia, which is strategically an important airbase in the Indian Ocean, and into the next century.
But in contradiction, critics in Britain said that it was a capitulation that played into the hands of China and has close trade ties with Mauritius. A group representing displaced Chagos Islanders expressed their anger and said that they had been shut out of talks.
Furthermore, British Foreign Minister – David Lammy said that the deal settled with the contested sovereignty of the islands, as the last British overseas territory in Africa, whereas the ongoing legal challenges had imperilled the long-term future of the Diego Garcia.
Minister Lammy said that the strategic significance of the base Diego Garcia was demonstrated during the conflicts between Iraq and Afghanistan, where it acted as a launch pad for long-range bombers, and was now guaranteed for at least 99 years.
According to him, “Today’s agreement will strengthen our role in safeguarding global security.”
Following this President Joe Biden echoed his sentiment and said that Diego Garcia played “a vital role in national, regional and global security.”
“It enables the US to support operations that demonstrate our shared commitment towards regional stability, that provides rapid response to crises and counter some of the most challenging security threats that we face,” said Biden.