The United Kingdom's recent decision to hand back the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, a former British colony, was a breakthrough, says Mauritian former foreign minister Jean-Claude de l'Estrac. But it isn't an unmitigated victory, he tells RFI, because the UK has been granted a long-term lease to maintain a military base on the archipelago's main island – something that will likely prevent islanders from returning.
The British government has been under pressure for decades to hand over the Chagos Islands, but has resisted because of the military base it shares with the United States on Diego Garcia island, which plays a key role in US operations in the Indian Ocean and Gulf.
