The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), an archipelago best known by its largest components, the Chagos Islands (including Diego Garcia), will soon be no more - and, on the whole, it is entirely right that this should be so. Formal sovereignty of these lands will be transferred back to the independent state of Mauritius, and the very important US-UK (mainly US, to be honest) military installations will be retained under a 99-year lease arrangement.
It marks the end of a long-running and irksome legal dispute, and will thus place the islands on a far more sustainable basis in international law. One of the last "African" colonies will be liberated, peacefully, leaving only the Spanish enclaves on the north cost of Morocco as reminders of the imperial age.
Put at its simplest, the United Kingdom has no business exerting "sovereignty" on tiny specks of land in the middle of the Indian Ocean. "Losing" the BIOT is not like handing Yorkshire over to the Danes or Kent to the French, and neither does it carry the same significance as the dissolution of British rule in Ireland, Egypt, India or Palestine; there is no need for an emergency session of parliament. It is a long-overdue tidying up of an anomaly.
Under international law - or at least United Nations conventions the islands should never have been carved out of the territory of Mauritius in 1965, while it was still a crown colony, in return for the full independence granted in 1968. The Chagossian people should never have been summarily evicted from their homes and sent away to Mauritius, Seychelles, and, er, the less tropical environment of Crawley - to make way for the Americans, who didn't want any locals hanging around such sensitive facilities.
Denne historien er fra October 05, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October 05, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
No title until Reds become road warriors, warns Slot
Liverpool boss says team must match away form of rivals
United stuck in 'purgatory' and facing only one way out
When one prominent football figure caught a glimpse of the Manchester United dressing room recently, they immediately recognised a scene they had seen from rival clubs. That was a squad that \"doesn't know what next\" and feels like it's \"going nowhere\". It isn't intentional, of course, but is a feeling that starts to grip a group when there's no sense of clarity.
Fifa transfer rules 'contrary to EU law', Diarra case finds
Fifa will have to update key paragraphs of its transfer rules to ensure punishment of players for breaking contracts is less draconian, after a European Court of Justice ruling on the Lassana Diarra case.
Marital rape is not rape, argues Indian government
The Indian government has opposed calls to classify consensual sexual acts committed by a husband against his wife as \"rape\", saying that to do so could have an impact on conjugal relationships and disturb the institution of marriage.
Screaming statue tribute to doctor raped and killed in India causes controversy
A bust installed outside a state-run hospital in India where a resident doctor was raped and killed has sparked anger and shock as it depicts a woman screaming in agony, her head thrown back and eyes wide open.
Haitian gang shoots at least 70 people in town rampage
Gang members brandishing automatic rifles have stormed through a town in Haiti's main breadbasket region, killing at least 70 people and forcing another 3,000 to flee.
Beirut hit again by Israel as Iran vows not to back down
Israeli military claims strikes targeted new Hezbollah leaders
Police officers win appeal in athlete stop and search case
Two former Metropolitan Police officers have been handed their jobs back after winning an appeal against a ruling that they had lied about a stop and search incident involving British athlete Bianca Williams.
Royal Navy chief apologises for submarine service abuse
The head of the Royal Navy has apologised after an investigation found \"misogyny, bullying and other unacceptable behaviours\" in the submarine service.
Women say gender equality in the workplace has stalled
Gender equality in the workplace has stalled as women report experiencing many of the same challenges as they did nearly 30 years ago, a new survey of high-flyers suggests.