Commentary
On October 3, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer agreed with Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago—also known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, where the strategically critical U.S. defense base at Diego Garcia is located—to Mauritius.
This decision, in my opinion, weakened Britain’s global role and partnership with the United States in countering the expansion of power by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) into the Indian Ocean.
The move was made under pressure from the United Nations and its International Court of Justice for the UK to give up the islands to Mauritius. It was a politically significant move, reminiscent of the UK’s withdrawal from “East of Aden” in 1971 under Prime Minister Harold Wilson.
It is clear that this decision by Starmer was a deliberate step against the former Conservative government’s efforts to enhance Britain’s global trading role post-Brexit.
Despite the historical ties between the Chagos Archipelago and Mauritius, the move isolates the UK and U.S. positions in the Indian Ocean at a time when the PRC, India, and Russia are expanding their influence in the region. The agreement with Jugnauth secured continued U.S. and UK use of the base on Diego Garcia.
However, the transfer of the Chagos to Mauritius has implications beyond territorial disputes. It involves a discreet conflict between the U.S. and PRC over internet control, a critical aspect of global information management. The PRC sees this transfer as a significant gain, similar to the election of a pro-China president in Sri Lanka.
It is worth noting that the Chagos Archipelago was never officially part of Mauritius, even though it was administered by the French and later the British from Mauritius.
The UK and Mauritius agreed to transfer the Chagos Archipelago in a historical context where other territorial disputes, like the UK’s transfer of Eswatini lands to South Africa and Portugal, remain unresolved.
The British Indian Ocean Territory was established in 1965 and included various islands, with Diego Garcia being the most strategically important due to its military base.
The history of Diego Garcia involves colonial claims by Portugal and later France before it came under British control. The U.S. and UK have had defense agreements regarding the territory since the 1960s.
The archipelago had a population of Ilois, who were forcibly removed when the base was established. The base has been used in various military operations, including during the Gulf War and the war in Afghanistan.
The legal status of the residents and the territorial dispute between the UK and Mauritius have been subjects of court cases and international arbitration.
Shortly after the Brexit referendum, the decision to bring the matter to the ICJ was seen as a setback for Britain, as other European countries did not support the UK due to their dissatisfaction with Brexit.
The referral sparked controversy, as the UK argued that it was inappropriate for the ICJ to intervene in a dispute between states without mutual consent to ICJ jurisdiction, despite Article 96 of the UN Charter allowing the General Assembly to request an advisory opinion on any legal question.
In February 2019, the ICJ ruled against the UK’s claim to sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, stating that the UK had unlawfully separated the islands from Mauritius and should relinquish control as soon as possible. The Chagos Islands, much like West Papua, were never included on the 1960 UN Declaration on Decolonization list, which would have granted them the right to self-determination under international law.
Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of The Epoch Times.
