The Chagos Islands Agreement: Termination of a Centuries-Old Conflict with International Consequences
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| A U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer taking off from Diego Garcia as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in 2001.Senior Airman Rebeca M. Luquin / U.S. Air Force |
Britain has agreed to hand over sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, ending decades of a territorial dispute, as part of a deal announced Thursday which would secure the future of the strategically important Diego Garcia air base for at least 99 years, sheltering U.S. and U.K. military operations in the region. Critics say the agreement will help China-the country with close trade ties with Mauritius.
A Historic Decision: Sovereignty Returned to Mauritius
After decades of legal battles and international pressure, Britain will finally give up its control over the Chagos Islands-the last British overseas territory in Africa. Underlining this deal would bring an end to a long-standing conflict and protect the future of Diego Garcia as a global asset for security.
Lammy said: "The air base is particularly important, especially during the years of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, where it has served as the primary forward launch point for U.S. long-range bombers, so I am pleased that the agreement will see the base open for at least 99 years, ensuring that the base will continue to serve both U.K. and U.S. defense planning.
Today's agreement. will strengthen our role in safeguarding global security end.
U.S. President Biden Welcomes the Deal
"We welcome the agreement and realize the strategic importance of Diego Garcia to U.S. military operations," said U.S. President Joe Biden. He appreciated the fact that the base maintained regional stability and responded to global security challenges. According to him, Diego Garcia will continue to play "a vital role in national, regional, and global security" into the next century.
"It enables the United States to show support for operations that demonstrate our shared commitment to regional stability, enableness in rapid response to crises, and counter some of the most challenging security threats we face," Biden said.
Chagossians: Community Excluded from Negotiations
Several months of intense negotiations notwithstanding, while the deal has been greeted by many, it has reinjected much of the anger in the displaced Chagossian community. In the 1970s Britain forcibly ejected nearly 2,000 Chagossians from their homeland in order to make way for the Diego Garcia air base and shipped them off to Mauritius and the Seychelles. Forced evictions always fuel deep resentment, and despite international pressure, Britain has thus far been immune to calls to allow them back.
While the new deal does allow Mauritius to move forward with a resettlement program on the islands, other than Diego Garcia, Chagossians feel their voices have been ignored. Olivier Bancoult, leader of the Chagos Refugees Group, based in Mauritius, branded the deal a "turning point" and an admission of injustice perpetrated against the Chagossians.
But the British-based group Chagossian Voices expressed frustration at being excluded from the negotiations. "We deplore the exclusion of the Chagossian community from the negotiations," the group said in a statement on Facebook. "Chagossians. remain powerless and voiceless in determining our own future and the future of our homeland."
A Mauritius Win: Completing Decolonization
Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth called the agreement a grand win for his country, calling it "the final step towards completing the decolonization" of Mauritius. Over television address, he reiterated the country's intention to resettle all Chagossians on the islands except Diego Garcia in line with conditions his government will set.
"We were guided by our conviction to complete the decolonization of our republic," Jugnauth said.
Apprehensions Over China's Influence
In this respect, critics in Britain argue that although the core aim of the deal is to end disputes over sovereignty and safeguard military operations, political connotations are back up for review. Leading figures within Britain's Conservative opposition party warn that a good deal for China may well be the outcome, since China has established strong trade relations with Mauritius.
Tom Tugendhat, the Conservative party's security spokesman, described it as undermining Britain's friends and "opening the door for China to project influence across the Indian Ocean."Robert Jenrick, another senior Conservative, told The Times that the agreement was a "dangerous capitulation" that could let China gain a toehold in the region.
"This is a dangerous cave-in that will hand our territory to an ally of Beijing," Jenrick said on X (formerly Twitter).
U.S. Security Guarantees
In response to criticism that China might involve itself, the U.S. State Department said that the provisions of the deal would not put the Diego Garcia base to security risk. According to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, "The provisions of the agreement do give us assurances that we will be able to maintain the security of our base."
Miller refused to offer more details on the specifics of the deal.
Strategic and Economic Implications
The Chagos Islands agreement is of strategic importance. Diego Garcia is located in the Indian Ocean-an area where the US and UK need to have military bases that control key sea routes. Besides, it is meant to act as a responses platform in case of security threats. It has been useful for the US in the Middle East and beyond as a take-off for long-range bombers and logistically in support.
The deal could also have economic implications. David Blagden, associate professor of international security and strategy at the University of Exeter, said that for Mauritius, the deal is a "big win" because now they expect money from Britain and would maybe also gain some benefits from Chinese aid.
Not only will the UK pay Port Louis for "taking back" an archipelago it'd never held sovereignty over, but they'll now be able to extract lots of juicy Chinese aid in exchange for complicating U.S./UK use of Diego Garcia," Blagden said on X.
The Chagos Islands agreement finally ends a long-standing territorial dispute between Britain and Mauritius, at least ensuring the future of the air base on Diego Garcia for centuries to come. Military benefits apart, controversy is sharply divided on the geopolitical and humanitarian implications of the deal. Finally, this agreement brings the attention of the public and other global actors back to the balance-of-power issues in the Indian Ocean and China's wider sphere of influence.
As all these things get further playing out, the world breathes with bated breath, awaiting more insight into how they would shape the future course of regional security and international relations.