This tiny island chain has been under British control since 1814<\/a><\/p>\nAfter years of negotiations, the UK is giving up its sovereignty over a cluster of strategically important Indian Ocean islands. The move has led to criticism from Britain’s Conservative opposition and some local Indigenous groups.<\/p>\n
A meeting between Britain’s Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio took place on Friday in Washington.<\/p>\n
The pair discussed the lease agreement, as well as mutual defence and security issues.<\/p>\n
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has urged Britain and Mauritius not to ratify the agreement.<\/p>\n
It said it risks perpetuating historical rights violations.<\/p>\n
The deal has been criticised by some Chagossians who accuse Mauritius of decades of neglect, an allegation Mauritius denies.<\/p>\n
Trump willing to ‘militarily secure’ the base<\/p>\n
Mr Trump has changed his feelings over the Chagos Islands situation several times since he took office for the second time.<\/p>\n
Last year, Washington gave its blessing to the agreement, however, in January, Mr Trump described it as an act of “great stupidity”.<\/p>\n
Earlier in February, he flipped again, saying he understood the deal was the best the UK could make, before then renewing his criticism this week.<\/p>\n
His comments this week highlight yet another ebb in the ongoing Anglo-American diplomatic rollercoaster over the deal.<\/p>\n
Britain has said it had no choice but to make a deal after international court decisions threatened its ability to maintain the base under previous arrangements.<\/p>\n
When the US president said he thought the deal was the best Sir Keir could do, he added he would retain the right to “militarily secure” the base if needed.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, February 17, the US State Department issued a statement that said it backs the deal made by the UK and Mauritius.<\/p>\n
“The United States supports the decision of the United Kingdom to proceed with its agreement with Mauritius concerning the Chagos archipelago,” the statement said.<\/p>\n
Chagossians protest the deal<\/p>\n
Up to 2,000 Chagossians were forcibly removed from the archipelago in the 1960s and 1970s, and resettled mainly in Mauritius and Britain.<\/p>\n
Many of those who are still alive want the right to return.<\/p>\n
On February 17, four Chagos islanders landed on one of the atolls to establish what they said would be a permanent settlement.<\/p>\n
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Four Chagossians arrived on a small atoll in the archipelago on February 17. (Reuters)<\/p>\n
One of those people, Misley Mandarin, said they were living in tents and expected 10 more arrivals next week plus many more in the coming year.<\/p>\n
He told Reuters that his father, Michel Mandarin, 74, was with him and had been removed from the island when he was 14.<\/p>\n
“I am not in exile anymore. This is my homeland,” Mr Mandarin said.<\/p>\n
Mauritius Attorney General Gavin Glover said the group had landed illegally.<\/p>\n
He said it was a “publicity stunt organised to create a situation of conflict with the British government”.<\/p>\n
In response, British authorities issued removal orders against four Chagossians who landed on the atoll.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson at the British Foreign Office called their arrival an “illegal, unsafe stunt” that would not help the UK government’s joint work with Mauritius.<\/p>\n
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