UK Forced to Abandon Chagos Islands Return to Mauritius
UK government shelves legislation to hand Chagos Islands back to Mauritius after US withdraws support for the plan, facing parliamentary time constraints.
The UK government has been compelled to abandon its plans to legislate the return of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, following the withdrawal of support from the United States for the proposed agreement.
On Friday, UK government officials acknowledged that they had run out of time to pass the necessary legislation within the current parliamentary session, which is set to conclude in the coming weeks. This marks a significant setback in the long-standing dispute over the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, a strategically important archipelago in the Indian Ocean.
The Chagos Islands have been a source of contention between the UK and Mauritius for decades. In 2019, the International Court of Justice ruled that the UK's continued administration of the islands was illegal, and that they should be returned to Mauritius. This decision was also endorsed by the United Nations General Assembly.
Source: The Guardian
