Di United Kingdom don announce say dem go give up sovereignty of one remote but strategically important cluster of islands wey dey for di Indian Ocean afta more dan half a century.
E don reach decades since di negotiations start betwin di UK and Mauritius over dis Islands wey dem dey call ‘Chagos Islands’, and sabi pipo tok say dis agreement by di UK to hand over di place dey historic.
Di Chagos Islands include di tropical atoll of Diego Garcia, wey di US goment dey use as a military base for dia navy ships and long-range bomber aircraft.
Di announcement wey dey inside one joint statement by di UK and Mauritian Prime Ministers, don end decades of negotiations between di two kontris.
Why di UK dey return Chagos Island now and what about Diego Garcia?
Di US-UK base go still remain for Diego Garcia, and dis na one ogbonge factor wey allow di deal to go forward for dis period wen geopolitical rivalries between Western countries, India, and China dey on di rise.
E still remain for di final treaty to dey concluded bifor dis deal go take effect, but di two sides don promise say dem go complete am as quickly as possible.
“Dis na ogbonge moment for our relationship and a demonstration of our enduring commitment to di peaceful resolution of disputes and di rule of law,” di statement from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth tok.
Di leaders also say dem dey committed “to ensure di long-term, secure and effective operation of di existing base on Diego Garcia wey dey play important role for regional and global security”.
Di treaty go also “address wrongs of di past and demonstrate di commitment of both parties to support di welfare of Chagossians”.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy tok say anoda benefit of di deal be say e go close “potential illegal migration route”.
Plenty Tamil pipo from Sri Lankan don dey inside one fenced camp for di island for three years as court case dey go on to decide dia fate.
E neva dey clear wetin dis announcement go mean for dem.
Di UK go provide a package of financial support to Mauritius, including annual payments and infrastructure investment.
Mauritius go also dey able to begin a programme of resettlement on the Chagos Islands, but not on Diego Garcia wia di UK go continue to dey operate di military base for “an initial period” of 99 years.
US President Joe Biden welcome di “historic agreement” and e tok say e be “clear demonstration say thru diplomacy and partnership, kontris fit overcome long-standing historical challenges to reach peaceful and mutually beneficial outcomes”.
Biden add say di deal don secure di future of di ogbonge military base wey dey “play a vital role in national, regional, and global security.”
Wetin pipo from Chagos islands tok?
Di Chagos islanders themselves – some for Mauritius and Seychelles, but others wey dey live for Crawley in Sussex – no dey speak wit one voice on di fate of dia homeland.
Some of dem say dem must to return to live on di isolated islands, some dey more focused on dia rights and status for di UK, while others believe say no be outsiders go decide di status of di islands.
One of dem, Isabelle Charlot, tell BBC say di deal don bring back hopes say her family fit return to her father island “roots”.
Plans for di Mauritius government to arrange resettlement go mean say we go get a “place wey we fit call home – wia we go dey free,” she tok.
But Frankie Bontemps, a second generation Chagossian for di UK, tell BBC say e feel “betrayed” and “angry” bicos “Chagossians no eva dey involve” for di negotiations.
“We still dey powerless and voiceless to determine our own future”, e tok, and e call for di full inclusion of Chagossians wen drafting di treaty.
Why di UK hand over di Islands to Mauritius now
Di UK don dey face rising diplomatic isolation ova dia claim to wetin dem dey refer to as di ‘British Indian Ocean Territory’.
Some United Nations bodies, including dia top court and general assembly, dey for di side of Mauritius to demand for di UK to surrender wetin some sabi pipo call dia “last colony for Africa”.
Di goment of Mauritius bin argue say di UK bin force dem illegally to give di Chagos Islands in return for dia independence in 1968.
For dat time, di British goment don already negotiate secret deal wit di US and agree to lease Diego Garcia for dem to use as military base.
Britain later apologise for how dem comot more dan 1000 pipo from di entire Island, and dem promise say dem go hand di place back to Mauritius wen dem no longer need am for strategic purposes.
But until recently, di UK bin dey insist say Mauritius diasef no get any legitimate claim to di islands.
For many years, di small island nation of Mauritius don dey struggle to win international support on top di matter.
Some pipo from di Chagos island, who follow for di pipo wey UK bin pursue comot for di late 1960s, later sue di British goment to court, but ina just recently wey international opinion start to dey shift.
African nations start to dey tok wit one voice for di matter, and afta Brexi,t many European kontris no too dey support di UK for international forums.
Di Mauritius also increase dia International campaign for di UN, for courts, and for di media.
Dem even land for di Island and put dia flag without British authorisation.
Di negotiations wey result in dis new deal bin start under di previous UK goment.
Britain still get plenty overseas territories. Dem include: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Antarctic Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands.
Dem also get two sovereign base areas for Cyprus under British jurisdiction.
Afta di Chagos announcement, di govnor of di Falklands say di islands dey safe for British hands.
“Di UK unwavering commitment to defend UK sovereignty [of di Falklands] still dey undiminished”, Alison Blake tok for inside one statement wey e post for social media.
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