Britain has officially agreed to give up its last African colony, the Chagos Islands, but the real reason behind the deal is to keep control of a major military base. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy admitted that the move was a strategic decision to secure the future of Diego Garcia, a key military base used by the United States.
The Chagos Islands have been a point of conflict for decades. Located in the Indian Ocean, they were once home to around 2,000 people. However, in 1966, the UK handed Diego Garcia, the largest island in the group, to the US. The island was turned into a military base, and the local population was forcibly removed. These displaced people have fought for years to return home, but the base’s strategic importance has kept the issue in limbo.
Recently, the Labour government, led by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, announced that the Chagos Islands would be handed over to Mauritius, a small island nation off the coast of Africa. This decision comes after growing pressure from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which had ruled in 2019 that the UK must give up the islands. However, rather than lose everything, Britain struck a deal to maintain control of Diego Garcia for military purposes.
Lammy defended the decision, saying, “This is a victory for diplomacy. We’ve secured the base for the long term, which is critical for national security.” He emphasized that without this deal, the military base could have been lost. The deal will allow the UK and the US to keep operating Diego Garcia for 99 years, in exchange for recognizing Mauritian sovereignty over the rest of the islands.
Not everyone is happy with the decision. Robert Jenrick, a former Conservative government minister, criticized the move, claiming that the UK is “giving away” important territory to a country that has close ties with China. He also accused Lammy of making the deal to “please the global diplomatic elite,” rather than looking after Britain’s interests.
The Chagos announcement also caused a stir in other parts of the world. Argentina, which has long disputed Britain’s control over the Falkland Islands, used the opportunity to renew its claim. Argentine Foreign Minister Diana Mondino declared, “We will recover full sovereignty over our Malvinas (the Argentine name for the Falklands). The Malvinas were, are, and will always be Argentine.”
Lammy quickly shut down any speculation about other British territories, saying, “The Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, and other sovereign areas are not up for negotiation.” He reassured parliament that these situations are entirely different from the Chagos Islands case.
Despite the diplomatic victory Lammy claims, many Chagossians are outraged by the deal. Some of them, now living in the UK, protested in London, saying they were never consulted about the future of their homeland. While the UK government believes the deal addresses past wrongs by recognizing Mauritian sovereignty, for those forced to leave the islands, the fight for justice continues.
In the end, the Chagos Islands deal reveals the delicate balancing act Britain faces between maintaining its military alliances, safeguarding national security, and addressing its colonial past. The agreement has sparked debates about sovereignty, international relations, and the rights of displaced communities, leaving many wondering what the future holds for Diego Garcia and the Chagos Islanders.
