Britain to hand over last African colony

The United Kingdom says it is giving up sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after a decades-long dispute
              

INDIA
Indian Ocean
SEYCHELLES 
MAURITIUS
Chagos Islands
2,000km 1,250 miles
 
CHAGOS ISLANDS (British Indian Ocean Territory)
Speakers Bank
Peros Banhos Atoll
Salomon Islands
Great Chagos Bank
Egmont Islands
Cauvin Bank
Pitt Bank
Diego Garcia: Naval/air base
50km 30 miles

Land 	Shallow reef 	Submerged reef


CHAGOS HISTORY
 
1814: Britain takes possession of islands after capturing French colony of Mauritius
  
1965: Mauritius sells islands to Britain three years before it gains independence. Islands become British Indian Ocean Territory
                                                                                                      
1966: Largest island, Diego Garcia, leased to U.S. for military base
  
1967-73: Britain moves around 2,000 islanders to Mauritius and Seychelles to make way for base
  
1982: Britain pays small amount of compensation to some Chagos islanders in Mauritius
 
2017: UN asks International Court of Justice (ICJ) to examine legal status of islands
 
2019: ICJ says UK should end rule over islands as soon as possible
 
Oct 2024: UK to cede sovereignty. Deal allows Mauritius to resettle islands, except Diego Garcia, where UK-U.S. base will remain


B-52 bombers at Diego Garcia – base has played key strategic role in U.S. operations in Indian Ocean


Sources: AP, AFP, BBC 
Picture: U.S. Department of Defence 
© GRAPHIC NEWS