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UK’s Decision on Chagos Islands Handover
May 26 , 2025
17 hrs 0 min
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- UK signed a deal transferring sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, including the key Diego Garcia military base.
- Diego Garcia military base plays a central role in UK-US defence operations in the Indian Ocean.
- The base will now be leased from Mauritius under a new 99-year lease.
- The UK will pay Mauritius an average of £101 million ($129m) per year.
- One of the last remnants of the British Empire, the Chagos Islands have been under British control since 1814.
- Britain detached the Chagos Islands from Mauritius in 1965—three years before Mauritius gained independence—and formed the British Indian Ocean Territory.
- In a non-binding 2019 opinion, the International Court of Justice ruled that the U.K. had unlawfully carved up Mauritius.
- India also welcomes U.K.'s decision.
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