In a historic move, the UK will be handing over the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius while Diego Garcia, the biggest of the 60-island Indian Ocean archipelago, will from now be on a 99-year (renewable) lease to the UK so the joint US-UK base remains in its strategic location.
On the face of it, this is a win-win for all except for the Chagossians with roots there who were forced out of the islands to Mauritius or Seychelles in the 1960s. They had no say in the issue and will remain displaced people wondering what their rights to return home will be. They were annoyed they were not even asked whether they entertain any notion of their right to self-determination.
The British may also be left wondering if this will open the doors for the likes of the Falkland Islands and Gibraltar to press for sovereign rights or merge with Argentina, an alternative the South American island chain did consider at one point of time. The UK has emphasised its “unwavering” commitment to the Falklands considering the Chagos deal.
The transfer of sovereignty will no doubt end another historically dominant colonial link to the British Empire, ending 210 years of occupation and the translocation of people from Africa to serve the colonial masters. There will also be British aid for Mauritius to help the citizens of Chagos after the treaty is signed with the UK.
The biggest fear post- sovereignty transfer may be that the Chinese may be attracted to try and wield their influence into gaining a toehold for a well-located snooping station amid the busy waters of the eastern Indian Ocean.
The British-administered Diego Garcia, the site of a current court case over Sri Lankan Tamils who somehow got to the migrant camp there seeking asylum from their ethnic war of the 1980s, will remain a bulwark with a port, storage and airfield against China expanding its presence in the area.
Ceding of territory in the modern age is a gigantic problem for colonial masters like the UK and France as it never comes without creating unintended consequences much as India finds itself embroiled over the largely unpopulated Katchatheevu Island that it ceded to Sri Lanka.
One way to look at it is like the US President Joe Biden who describes his country’s extended hold on the military base in Diego Garcia as a way diplomacy can help get over historical challenges. But then the US is a beneficiary here of British colonialism.
