The Chagos Archipelago was part of the British colony of Mauritius, which gained independence in 1968. In the lead–up to independence, the archipelago was separated from Mauritius and became known as the British Indian Ocean Territory. In 1970, Diego Garcia was leased to the United States and developed jointly by the US and UK as an air and naval support and refuelling station. This involved the forced relocation of the local population – around 1,000 people, mostly agricultural workers and fishermen – to Mauritius and the Seychelles, where they would end up living in urban poverty.
In 2019, the International Court of Justice ruled that the separation of the Chagos islands from Mauritius in 1965 had been illegal, and that the United Kingdom should return them to Mauritius. This decision was affirmed by the United Nations General Assembly, which demanded that the UK should co–operate with Mauritius to facilitate the resettlement of Mauritian nationals in the archipelago.
The ICJ's decision was not legally binding. The US government, in a written statement, said that there were no plans to discontinue the use of the military base on Diego Garcia. It reaffirmed an agreement between the US and UK governments, asserting the importance of the joint base. This agreement, reached in 2016, remains in force until 2036.
© Haydn Thompson 2020