A delegation from Mauritius set sail for the disputed Chagos Islands on Tuesday for a 15-day expedition. The move is being viewed as Mauritius’ attempt to assert its sovereignty on the strategically important Indian Ocean archipelago, as the islands are also claimed by the United Kingdom (UK) and even houses a United States (US) military base.
This marks the first time that Mauritius has embarked on a journey to the islands without seeking the permission of the UK. The vessel, Bleu de Nîmes, has been commissioned by Mauritius and sailed from Seychelles to the Chagos archipelago, which is located about 500 kilometres south of Maldives in the Indian Ocean.
Pravind Jugnauth, the Prime Minister (PM) of Mauritius, described the “historic” trip to the 58-island archipelago in the Indian Ocean as a “scientific study” of a partly submerged reef. He added that the ecological expedition is a “concrete step” towards Mauritius “exercising its sovereignty” over the strategic islands.
Members partaking in the scientific survey at the Blenheim Reef, a partially submerged atoll in the northeastern part of the archipelago, include Mauritius’ permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), legal advisers, journalists, government officials, and academicians.
We hope members of the @UKHouseofLords will do the right thing this time for the Chagossian children of descent. The other place showed little compassion for their unique situation and history. An incredible injustice to an entire community and generations of trauma. pic.twitter.com/3nWYOJp2Tp
— BIOT Citizens (@BiotCitizens) January 20, 2022
The PM added that the survey findings would be part of the country’s submissions for a case being heard by the Hamburg-based International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLS). The case was lodged by Maldives, which supports the UK’s sovereignty claim.
While the UK’s Foreign Office did not comment on the issue of sovereignty, it acknowledged that Mauritius had notified London of “its plans to conduct a scientific survey close to the Chagos Islands.” “The UK shares this interest in environmental protection and gave assurances to Mauritius that it would not interrupt the survey,” the Office said.
The Chagos Islands have been at the core of a decades-long international dispute between the UK and Mauritius. The UK separated the islands from Mauritius in 1965, three years before Mauritius gained independence Britain. The contentious territory was then leased to the US to set up the Diego Garcia military base.
In the past, Jugnauth has repeatedly assured that ending Britain’s administration over the Chagos Islands would have no implications for the US military base, which Mauritius has committed to maintaining.
In 2019, the International Court of Justice ruled unanimously that the UK should cede the islands to Mauritius. The resolution was also adopted by the UN General Assembly, which called on Britain to end its “colonial administration.”
Similarly, last January, the ITLS also extensively criticised the UK's failure to hand the Chagos Islands, located in the Indian Ocean, over to its former colony Mauritius.
However, the UK, which calls the archipelago a “British Indian Ocean Territory,” rejected the claims and said that it had “no doubt” of its sovereignty over the islands, which it has exercised since 1814. Furthermore, the UK reasons that its continued presence on the islands is strategically important and therefore it would continue to use the islands until its defence purposes in the region are complete.