Mauritius to lead ‘historic’ trip to contested islands: PM of Mauritius

15 Feb,22 9:30 am
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Diego Garcia: The Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Jugnauth on 7 February 2022 announced a "historic visit" by a research vessel to the disputed Chagos Islands, an archipelago it claims in full but which is administered by Britain.

Key Highlights:

  • PM Jugnauth told reporters that a scientific vessel would set out on 8 February 2022 to the remote islands in the Indian Ocean.
  • Among those on board will be Chagos islanders forcibly evicted by Britain in the 1960s and 70s to make way for a military base there.
  • It will be the first time Mauritius has led an expedition to the long-contested islands without requesting permission from the United Kingdom or the United States.
  • It follows a 2019 International Court of Justice ruling that backed the claim by Mauritius and said Britain should give up control of the islands.

About Diego Garcia:

  • It is an island of the British Indian Ocean Territory, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom.
  • It is the largest of 60 small islands comprising the Chagos Archipelago.
  • The Portuguese were the first Europeans to find it and it was then settled by the French in the 1790s and transferred to British rule after the Napoleonic Wars.
  • In 1965, Britain separated the Chagos Islands from Mauritius and set up a joint military base with the United States on Diego Garcia.

UK- Mauritius Dispute:

  • The Chagos Islands have been at the center of a decades-long dispute over Britain’s decision to separate them from Mauritius in 1965 and set up a joint military base with the US on Diego Garcia
  • Mauritius has fought since 1975 to return the archipelago to its territory.
  • In 2019, the International Court of Justice ruled that Britain should give up control of the islands.
  • Later that year, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) overwhelmingly voted in favour of a resolution recognising that "the Chagos Archipelago forms an integral part of the territory of Mauritius" and recommending Britain withdraw within 6 months.
  • However, Britain, some 9,500 kilometres (5,900 miles) to the west from Chagos, insists the islands belong to London and has refused to leave.
  • It has renewed a lease agreement with the United States to use Diego Garcia until 2036.
  • Diego Garcia played a strategic role during the Cold War, and then as an airbase, including during the war in Afghanistan.
  • Mauritius has described their continued presence as "an illegal administration".

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