UK cedes Chagos Islands to Mauritius, India hails deal

The United Kingdom is giving up the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a deal that would allow people displaced decades ago to return home while the UK retains use of the British-US military base on Diego Garcia. The UK said that the operation of Diego Garcia, a strategic military base jointly operated with the United States, was protected by the agreement, which also allows Mauritius to resettle the rest of the islands after its population was displaced.
India has played a quiet but important background role in UK's move hand over sovereignty of  Chagos Islands to Mauritius.New Delhi's role had got a mention in the joint statement of the UK and Mauritius. "In reaching today's political agreement, we have enjoyed the full support and assistance of our close partners, the United States of America and the Republic of India," the joint statement read. The UK has been under pressure for decades to hand over Chagos. In February 2019, the International Court of Justice had declared British control of the Chagos Islands illegal. Three months later, the United Nations overwhelmingly backed a resolution demanding that the UK relinquish control of Chagos Islands.
As noted by the press release issued by 10 Downing Street, after two years of negotiation, a seminal moment was achieved in the relationship that demonstrates commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes and the rule of law. It was noted by them that the negotiations have been conducted in a constructive and respectful manner, as equal sovereign States, on the basis of international law, and with the intention of resolving all outstanding issues between the United Kingdom and Mauritius concerning the Chagos Archipelago, including those relating to its former inhabitants.The Press Release stated that under the terms of this treaty the United Kingdom will agree that Mauritius is sovereign over the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia. At the same time, both our countries are committed to the need, and will agree in the treaty, to ensure the long-term, secure and effective operation of the existing base on Diego Garcia which plays a vital role in regional and global security. For an initial period of 99 years, the United Kingdom will be authorised to exercise with respect to Diego Garcia the sovereign rights and authorities of Mauritius required to ensure the continued operation of the base well into the next century. The UK had controlled the region since 1814 and had detached the Chagos Islands in 1965 from Mauritius so as to create the British Indian Ocean Territory. In the early 1970s, UK evicted almost 2,000 residents to Mauritius and the Seychelles to make way for an airbase on the largest island, Diego Garcia, which it had leased to the US in 1966,