UK gives sovereignty of long-contested Chagos Islands to Mauritius 

Chagossians, led by Olivier Bancoult, center, are shown outside the Mauritian prime minister's office in Port Louis, Mauritius, Oct. 3, 2024, after learning that the U.K. had agreed to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. FILE - This image shows an aerial view of Diego Garcia. (U.S. Navy via AP) FILE - U.S. sailors are pictured aboard the USS Paul Hamilton during a routine port visit at Diego Garcia, Feb. 11, 2023. (U.S. Navy via AP)

The British government agreed Thursday to hand sovereignty of the long-contested Chagos Islands, an archipelago of more than 60 islands in the Indian Ocean, to Mauritius, in a deal to secure the future of a strategically important U.K.-U.S. military base.