Britain Gives Up Sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius

Britain on Thursday said that it was giving up sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while it retained use of the important UK-U.S. military base on Diego Garcia.

Diego Garcia is a strategic airbase in the Indian Ocean jointly operated by the UK and the United States. The U.S. welcomed the move saying that the military base at Diego Garcia played vital role in national, regional, and global security.