Chagos Islands returned to Mauritius, but tensions over evictions persist

Diego Garcia , the largest of the Chagos islands, is leased by Britain to the United States for use as a joint military base. © Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation

After decades of legal battles, Britain has agreed to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, a former colony. The remote Indian Ocean archipelago will continue to host a US military base, but Chagossians exiled to make way for the base in the 1960s and 70s are questioning whether the deal can truly rectify past wrongs.

The agreement made on 3 October comes after nearly two years of negotiations and marks a significant turnaround after decades of British dismissals of Mauritian sovereignty claims.