By RTL News··Edited:
RTL
After years of negotiations, the British government agreed to return the Chacos Islands. An archipelago of more than sixty islands in the Indian Ocean will once again become part of the African Mauritius.
“It is also seen as the last British colony to be returned to its rightful owner,” says reporter Ann Chanen.
In 1968, the archipelago was separated from Mauritius: “The British wanted to add the Chacos Islands to British territory in exchange for the independence of Mauritius. Meanwhile, they made an agreement with the United States to jointly establish a military base there .”
That military base was built on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago. In the early 1970s nearly two thousand islanders were forcibly evicted from their homes. They migrated mainly to Mauritius, Seychelles or England.
Last year, human rights group Human Rights Watch called the forced deportations a ‘crime against humanity, a crime committed by a colonial power against an indigenous people’. The UN has also previously criticized the division of the archipelago.
Agreement
However, it took some time for the two countries to reach an agreement. This required 13 rounds of negotiations starting in 2022. Correspondent Sanen says there are several reasons why there is an agreement now. “After Brexit, international relations have become even more important to the British. Now that British interests are not represented by the EU, they need to maintain good relations with foreign countries.”
International pressure on the British also increased: “The severance of colonial obligations fits the thinking of the times: the Mauritian government has received a lot of support from the UN and many African countries in recent years.”
return
The agreement now allows for the return of people who have since been evacuated. Although those islanders and their descendants are separated, Chanen says: “Some who went to Great Britain years ago really want to come back. But others want to focus on their British residency status. And another group is particularly angry that they can’t live. Everyone is engaged in negotiations.”
Various interest groups and Human Rights Watch are critical: “This does not guarantee that the Chakosians will be able to return to their homeland,” the human rights organization writes.
Mauritius had to make a significant concession to the deal: the United Kingdom would retain Diego Garcia’s largest island for the time being: “The military base may continue there for the next 99 years.”
There is a military base
It is even more important for Great Britain. “Today’s agreement will strengthen our role in safeguarding global security,” the British foreign secretary said in a statement. US President Joe Biden said Diego Garcia “has played a vital role in national, regional and global security”. About 2,500 soldiers, mainly Americans.
The agreement between the two countries is yet to be signed. Both parties have promised to ensure that this happens soon.
