Decades-old colonial dispute ends: What is UK-Mauritius Chagos treaty India is hailing?
New Delhi: In a landmark development, the United Kingdom and the Republic of Mauritius have signed a treaty that will return sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia, to Mauritius. India has welcomed the move, calling it a “milestone achievement” and a “positive development for the region.”
The treaty, announced on Thursday, also ensures that the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia will remain operational for at least the next century, securing its strategic role in regional and global security.
India welcomes treaty, reaffirms support for Mauritius
India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a statement on Thursday reaffirming its long-standing support for Mauritius’s “legitimate claim” over the Chagos Archipelago.
"India has consistently supported Mauritius's legitimate claim over the Chagos Archipelago in keeping with its principled position on decolonization, respect for sovereignty, and the territorial integrity of nations. As a steadfast and longstanding partner of Mauritius, India remains committed to working closely with Mauritius and other like-minded countries to strengthen maritime security and regional stability and ensure peace and prosperity in the Indian Ocean region," read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
"The formal resolution of the longstanding Chagos dispute through this bilateral treaty is a milestone achievement and a positive development for the region. This is further to the understanding between the two sides reached in October 2024, and marks the culmination of the process of decolonization of Mauritius in the spirit of international law and rules-based order," it stated.
What is the Treaty about?
The treaty brings an end to one of the last major colonial-era territorial disputes, returning ownership of the Chagos islands to Mauritius, while securing the strategic continuity of the Diego Garcia base for UK and US operations.
All Five Eyes partners: the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, along with India, are backing the agreement, recognising the base’s critical role in regional and global defence, counter-terrorism, and surveillance.
Background on the Chagos Dispute
The Chagos Archipelago comprises 58 islands located about 500 km south of the Maldives. Uninhabited until the late 1700s, the islands were developed under French colonial rule using enslaved labor from Africa and India.
In 1965, just before Mauritius gained independence, the UK separated the Chagos islands to form the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). Despite Mauritius's repeated objections, the UK retained control — a move later criticized as illegal under international law.
The largest island, Diego Garcia, was leased to the United States in 1966 for military use. In the 1970s, around 2,000 Chagossians were forcibly removed to make way for the base — a relocation that sparked international condemnation and long-standing legal challenges.
Diego Garcia went on to become one of the most strategically important US military outposts, supporting operations in Afghanistan, the Middle East, and Africa.
(with IANS inputs)