The secret US military base being given back to Mauritius

The United States is facing a significant geopolitical shift as the UK prepares to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. This transfer includes Diego Garcia, a strategically crucial atoll in the Indian Ocean that has been home to a vital US military base for decades.

Diego Garcia has been a cornerstone of US military operations in the region since the 1970s. The island’s location far from potential threats (1,000 miles from any other landmass) made it an ideal site for a foreign military base.

The uses of the island have never been revealed, but long speculated. It has served as a naval communications station, fleet anchorage, and airfield, playing a key role in maintaining US dominance in the region. Rumours suggest it has been a CIA ‘black site’ for interrogation of prisoners and a nuclear weapons testing area.

A BBC report from earlier this year fought for access to the island, which was expressly forbidden by the US. A legal challenge for permission to visit was made more difficult by the US government refusing to supply food, travel, and accomodation for even the judges.

“As discussed previously, the United States agrees with the position of His Majesty’s Government that it would be preferable for members of the press to observe the hearing virtually from London, to minimize risks to security of the Facility,” a diplomatic memo said.

Why the islands are being returned to Mauritius

The US-UK agreement on Diego Garcia dates back to the 1960s when the UK was withdrawing its military presence from the Indian Ocean. To establish the base, the UK forcibly expelled the Chagossian inhabitants between 1968 and 1973, an action that has since been deemed illegal by the International Court of Justice.

This ruling is the crux the islands being returned to Mauritius. Both the US and UK became more and more distanced from international sentiment on the position of the islands. In 2019 the United Nations voted in near-totality to demand the return of the islands, and a further 2021 ruling said that Britain had no claim to the islands.

The historic agreement will see the Chagos Islands back in Mauritian hands, ending a colonial stain. But not fully.

“We were guided by our conviction to complete the decolonisation of our republic,” Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said in a televised speech. The resettlement of the 1,600 islanders is expected to begin soon.

Diego Garcia will remain leased to the US and UK for the until the next century.