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These tiny islands grant France jurisdiction over a staggering 640,000 km² of marine space — roughly six per cent of its total maritime domain, full of fish and possible gas reserves. The trouble is that for Madagascar, they carry symbolic weight, and it has long contested their detachment.
Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina arrived in Paris on Monday for discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron on the future of the long-disputed Scattered Islands. The five tiny islets with a total area of just 43 square kilometres in the Indian Ocean were part of Madagascar when it was a French colony.
They were split off when the island nation gained independence in 1960, and Madagascar wants them back.
France, however, is determined to maintain ownership of the uninhabited but strategic islands, which are protected ecological sanctuaries. Not only because of their ecological and symbolic importance, but also because of the control they offer over vast maritime zones rich in resources.
These tiny islands grant France jurisdiction over a staggering 640,000 km² of marine space — roughly six per cent of its total maritime domain, full of fish and possible gas reserves. The trouble is that for Madagascar, they carry symbolic weight, and it has long contested their detachment.
The United Nations votes in 1979 and 1980 agreed that the islets should be reintegrated into Madagascar. The Scattered Islands, also known as Îles Éparses, are a collection of five French-administered islands and atolls in the Indian Ocean, located off the coast of Madagascar.
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The Scattered Islands are situated in the Mozambique Channel and the western Indian Ocean. The group includes Glorioso Islands (including Banc du Geyser), Tromelin Island, Juan de Nova Island, Europa Island, and Bassas da India atoll.