The UK and Mauritius are close to finalizing a landmark deal to return sovereignty over the Chagos Islands—home to the strategic US base at Diego Garcia—after securing approval from the Trump administration. Under the draft agreement, originally agreed in October, the UK will lease back Diego Garcia for at least 99 years. Britain split the Chagos Islands from Mauritius in 1965, three years before Mauritius gained independence. Subsequently, it forcefully removed the islands’ residents, numbering about 2,000, to make way for the US base. Since then, Mauritius has pursued redress, seeking to retake the islands. In recent years, the UN began backing Mauritius’s claim, urging the UK to return the islands.
Source: AP