India in the crossfire over strategic Chagos islands

New Delhi would like to have Mauritius regain control of Chagos but also favours the US base in Diego Garcia for keeping an eye on Chinese moves

Assiduously as it might work to retain its strategic space and preserve its security interests in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), trouble for India in the Maldives is never too far away. In recent days, New Delhi stands accused of making Malé change its stance on its territorial dispute with Mauritius over the Chagos islands.

The Maldives sprung a surprise late last month by declaring that it supported Mauritius in its efforts to decolonise the Chagos islands from the United Kingdom. Until this declaration, the Maldives had always backed the UK's continuing control of the Chagos islands that Mauritius has been seeking to reclaim.

An indication of the Chagos islands' huge geo-strategic significance is the presence of a US military base on one of its atolls, Diego Garcia. The US, while not a claimant to the islands, has had a naval base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the atolls that comprise the Chagos archipelago, for long.

It came up after the US and UK signed a pact in 1966 despite legitimate questions over who had jurisdiction over the Chagos islands. The base has provided the US with a vital presence in the IOR, more so with the increasing forays of Chinese warships in the region.

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While Mauritius ceased to be a colony of the UK in 1968, it never got back the Chagos islands which comprise seven atolls and 60 islands, even though they had been its dependency. For, the UK cleverly declared the islands British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) in 1965 itself, thereby refusing to cede jurisdiction over the Chagos islands to Mauritius.

The Maldives U-turn on Chagos has stirred a hornet's nest in the archipelago. Predictably enough, some quarters within the Maldives have drawn India into the controversy by blaming New Delhi for Malé's change in position.

In the Maldives, a country where the Opposition is often eager to stoke anti-India sentiments, this latest charge comes at a time when New Delhi-Malé relations are warm and robust. The reason, perhaps, for some in the Maldives to claim that the Ibu Solih-led government has switched tracks at New Delhi's behest.

Leading the anti-India charge has been a former attorney general of the Maldives, Dr Mohamed Munavvar, who has claimed that the shift in the Maldives' position will work to New Delhi's advantage.

Munavvar cited the close ties between New Delhi and Port Louis as well as the presence of a huge Indian diaspora in Mauritius for Malé's about-turn. He also made the rather ludicrous claim that India's aim is to control the Chagos islands once Mauritius has jurisdiction over them.

The Maldives' changed stance came to light after it expressed support for the 'Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of the separation of the Chagos archipelago from Mauritius in 1965'. This advice was given after the UN General Assembly sought its opinion on the matter.

In this opinion, the ICJ said that "the process of decolonisation of Mauritius was not lawfully completed when that country acceded to independence" and that "the UK is under an obligation to bring to an end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as rapidly as possible".

The decision to support Mauritius on the issue of decolonisation was revealed during a hearing before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), where Maldives and Mauritius are locked in a territorial dispute over their contesting claims on the waters separating them in the Indian Ocean.

The archipelago's government also said before ITLOS that it has already written to the Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth, in August this year, informing him that Maldives would vote in favour of the UNGA resolution.

Facing flak for its decision, the Solih government has maintained that the Maldives territorial dispute over a maritime boundary before ITLOS is a separate matter.

Adding fat to the fire over the changed position is former Maldives President and now Parliament speaker, Mohamed Nasheed. Nasheed, who belongs to the same party as President Solih, the Maldives Democratic Party, has proven to be a disruptive element for his presidency. He has penned an article stating that the Chagos islands were historically a part of the Maldives and, therefore, should be given to it.

India's own position on the Chagos territorial dispute has seen it throwing its weight behind Mauritius over the years as it involves the question of decolonisation as well as sovereignty. India has supported UN General Assembly resolutions and ICJ rulings backing Mauritius' claims on Chagos and Diego Garcia.

Just as much as it would like to have Mauritius regain control of Chagos, India has been in favour of the presence of the US base in Diego Garcia. It knows well that the US base is useful for keeping an eye on Chinese moves in the IOR.

With the UK continuing with what is widely perceived as its unlawful jurisdiction over Chagos, it's time, perhaps, for the world to redouble its efforts to give Mauritius what rightfully belongs to it. As for the UK and the US, on the same page when it comes to Diego Garcia, they need to live up to their declarations about the need to adhere to the rule of law.

(The writer is a senior journalist)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.