Mauritius presses claim versus UK for Indian Ocean islands

Bangkok: A delegation from Mauritius is set to sail Tuesday to the Chagos Islands to press the country’s claim for the strategically important Indian Ocean archipelago, which is also claimed by Britain and is home to an American military base.

It is the first time Mauritius has embarked upon an expedition to the islands without seeking the permission of the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said in a statement, adding it is a “concrete step” in “exercising its sovereignty and sovereign rights in relation to the Chagos Archipelago.”

Those rights were strengthened in 2019 by a non-binding opinion from the International Criminal Court, which said that Britain had unlawfully carved up Mauritius, an archipelago nation whose main island is some 2,000 kilometers (1,200 miles) off the southeast coast of Africa.

The Chagos islands were a part of Mauritius until Britain separated them a few years before Mauritius became independent from British colonial rule in 1968.The United Nations General Assembly followed that opinion with a resolution two months later demanding that Britain end its “colonial administration” of the Chagos Islands, which include U.S. military base on



Diego Garcia, and return them to Mauritius. Even Pope Francis weighed in, saying that Britain should obey the U.N. resolution.

Thus far, however, Britain, which calls archipelago a “British Indian Ocean Territory,” has refused to abide by non-binding decisions. It has argued that Chagos archipelago has been under its sovereignty since 1814 and that its continued presence there is strategically important. Britain’s Foreign Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on current expedition. In his statement, Jugnauth recalled ICJ ruling and said that “continued administration of the Chagos archipelago by the United Kingdom constituted a wrongful act.” His office did not immediately respond to an email seeking further comment.

Jugnauth has repeatedly said that ending British administration, however, would have no implications for the U.S. military base at Diego Garcia, which he has said Mauritius is committed to maintaining.

Britain sealed a deal in 1966 allowing U.S. to use Diego Garcia for defense purposes. The United States maintains a base there for aircraft and ships and has backed Britain in legal dispute with Mauritius.