Washington said the deal protected the long-term, secure and effective operation of the strategic military base.

The U.K. has agreed 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.

The UK and US retain joint military base on Diego Garcia, an atoll in the Indian Ocean for which there have been longstanding claims.

After years of negotiations, the UK is giving up its sovereignty over a cluster of strategically important Indian Ocean islands. The move has led to criticism from Britain's Conservative opposition and some local Indigenous groups.

Britain struck a deal to cede sovereignty over the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius, while keeping control of a strategically important UK-US military base for another century.Under the agreement,

Britain said on Thursday it would cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a deal it said secured the future of the UK-U.S. Diego Garcia military base, and which could also pave the way for people displaced decades ago to return home.

For years, Mauritius demanded the UK end its control on the Chagos Archipelago. Why was their ownership a matter of contention, and what are the interests of countries like the US and India here? We explain.

The UK agreed to transfer the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius after 99 years. The initial period allows the UK to manage Diego Garcia while ensuring t

India played an important role in forging a historic deal between Mauritius and the United Kingdom over the strategically significant UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, a move that finally de-colonised the tiny island nation.