Britain Hands Over Chagos Islands To Mauritius

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

LONDON/PORT LOUIS (Worthy News) – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he has signed an agreement handing over the sovereignty of one of the last remnants of the British Empire, the Chagos Islands, to Mauritius.

The archipelago in the Indian Ocean is home to a strategically important naval and bomber base on the largest of the islands, Diego Garcia.

Starmer says the agreement secures the future of a base “right at the foundation of our safety and security at home.”

The signing was delayed for several hours after a British judge imposed a last-minute injunction blocking the transfer. Another judge later lifted that injunction.

One of the last remnants of the British Empire, the Chagos Islands, have been under British control since 1814.

Britain split the islands away from Mauritius, a former British colony, in 1965, three years before Mauritius gained independence.

CONCERNED WOMEN

However, two Chagossian women representing the islands’ original residents took legal steps, saying they opposed the move as they were evicted decades ago to make way for the American military base.

Bernadette Dugasse and Bertrice Pompe, both British citizens, fear returning to the islands will be even more difficult once Mauritius takes control of them.

After the injunction was lifted, Pompe said it was “a very sad day” but vowed to continue fighting.

“We do not want to hand over our rights to Mauritius. We are not Mauritians,” she said outside the High Court. “The rights we are asking for now, we have been fighting for 60 years,” she added. “Mauritius is not going to give that to us.”

Yet despite their opposition, the agreement was due to be signed Thursday by British Prime Minister Starmer and Mauritian leader Navin Ramgoolam at a virtual ceremony.

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