Britain hands Chagos Islands, home of secretive US military base, over to Mauritius

The chain of islands in the Indian Ocean includes Diego Garcia — used by the U.S. government as a base for its navy ships and long-range bomber aircraft.

Under the agreement struck Thursday, Diego Garcia itself will remain under U.K. and U.S. jurisdiction for at least the next 99 years to allow the base to keep running.

But the joint statement says the deal “will address wrongs of the past and demonstrate the commitment of both parties to support the welfare of Chagossians.”

Mauritius will implement a program of resettlement on all islands apart from Diego Garcia, the agreement promises, while the U.K. will provide a package of financial support for infrastructure projects to boost economic development on the islands.

Britain only recently acknowledged Mauritius had any claim to the islands, and the political agreement — subject to a formal treaty — comes after years of negotiations that began under the last Conservative administration.

A 2019 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice, which adjudicates on disputes between nations, found that the detachment of the Chagos Islands from Mauritius was “not based on the free and genuine expression of the will of the people concerned.”