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Located just south of the equator off the coast of India, the Chagos Islands have been under British rule since 1814. They became known as the British Indian Ocean Territory in 1965 when they were detached from Mauritius, a British colony that gained its independence three years afterward.
Islanders who had to leave their distant Indian Ocean home for a U.S. military base half a century ago protested outside the U.K. Parliament on Monday. Critics claim that the government is giving up control over British territory.
This agreement has left displaced residents unsure about their ability to return home. They argue that a recent agreement has determined the future of their homeland without their involvement.
Located just south of the equator off the coast of India, the Chagos Islands have been under British rule since 1814. They became known as the British Indian Ocean Territory in 1965 when they were detached from Mauritius, a British colony that gained its independence three years afterward.
The British government announced last week its decision to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, with the condition that the American naval and bomber base remains on Diego Garcia.
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Britain expelled nearly 2,000 people from the islands in the 1960s and 1970s to make way for the U.S. military’s Diego Garcia base, which has supported military actions from Vietnam through Iraq and Afghanistan.In 2008, the U.S. acknowledged that the base was also involved in secret rendition flights for terror suspects.
