Mauritius and the United Kingdom released a joint statement on 3 October 2024 announcing the UK’s agreement to transfer the Chagos archipelago, including the island of Diego Garcia, back to Mauritius. While the agreement recognises the sovereignty of Mauritius over the entire archipelago, it also permits the UK to exercise such sovereignty on behalf of Mauritius in Diego Garcia for the next 99 years. This development prompts critical questions. How did the UK gain control of the Chagos? Why did the UK agree to hand it back to Mauritius? And why is the UK holding back Diego Garcia? Political analysts Daniela Marggraff, Samuel Oyewole and Maxi Schoeman share their take on it.
How did the UK gain control of the Chagos archipelago?
As a dependency of Mauritius, the Chagos archipelago was administered as a French colony from 1715 to 1814, and as a British colony between 1814 and 1965.
