UK gives sovereignty of long-contested Chagos Islands to Mauritius
Voice of America
Chagossians, led by Olivier Bancoult, center, are shown outside the Mauritian prime minister's office in Port Louis, Mauritius, Oct. 3, 2024, after learning that the U.K. had agreed to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. FILE - This image shows an aerial view of Diego Garcia. (U.S. Navy via AP) FILE - U.S. sailors are pictured aboard the USS Paul Hamilton during a routine port visit at Diego Garcia, Feb. 11, 2023. (U.S. Navy via AP)
The British government agreed Thursday to hand sovereignty of the long-contested Chagos Islands, an archipelago of more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean, to Mauritius, in a deal to secure the future of a strategically important U.K.-U.S. military base.
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India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves as he arrives for Mauritius' 57th National Day celebrations at the Champ De Mars, Port Louis, Mauritius, March 12, 2025. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, and his Mauritius counterpart Navin Ramgoolam pay homage after laying a wreath at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden during his State visit, in Pamplemousses, Mauritius, March 11, 2025. FILE - Sailors walk on the deck of the INS Imphal, a stealth guided-missile destroyer, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, Dec. 22, 2023.