The UK has handed over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius after a dispute lasting almost fifty years.
Mauritius claims that it was forced to give up sovereignty of the Chagos Islands in return for getting independence in 1968, while Britain claimed that this was not the case.
Following Mauritian independence, the UK forcibly removed about 2 000 people from the Islands. Most of these people and their descendants now live in Mauritius or the UK.
Various international bodies, including the International Court of Justice, have sided with Mauritius over the issue which now appears close to being finally resolved.
Part of the reason for Britain’s intransigence was because it runs a joint military base with the United States on Diego Garcia, an atoll which is part of the Chagos Islands. It is a base for military ships and long-range bombers.
Mauritius will be allowed to resettle people in the Chagos Islands, but not in Diego Garcia. The UK will continue to operate the base for an initial period of 99 years, according to the BBC.
The deal is still subject to a treaty which both parties say should be finalised soon.
This is one of Britain’s last pieces of overseas territory and one of the last remnants of the British Empire. Most other remaining British overseas territories are small islands, many of them remote, including the Falklands, Bermuda, Anguilla, and St Helena.
[Image: Screenshot/Al Jazeera]