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Al Jazeera (3 October 2024)

The United Kingdom has announced it is giving up sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a deal that will secure the future of a key US military base on the atoll of Diego Garcia while allowing islanders displaced for the past five decades a right of return.

The deal, announced jointly by the UK and Mauritius on Thursday, grants the latter full sovereignty over the remote archipelago, guaranteeing the operation of the United States base for the next 99 years.

“This government inherited a situation where the long-term, secure operation of the Diego Garcia military base was under threat, with contested sovereignty and ongoing legal challenges,” British Foreign Minister David Lammy said in a statement.

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