Mauritius welcomes UN ban on British stamps in disputed islands

Mauritius hailed the decision by the United Nations postal agency to ban the use of British stamps on the Chagos Archipelago, calling it a victory for the island nation in its decades-long dispute with London.

The vote by the Universal Postal Union (UPU), a United Nations agency specializing in the mail sector, follows a long-standing dispute between Mauritius and Britain over the Chagos Islands, where London and Washington operate a common military base.

“This is another big step in favor of the recognition of the sovereignty of Mauritius over the Chagos,” Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said Wednesday evening.

Although Mauritius became independent in 1968, the Chagos Archipelago remained under British control, sparking protests from the Chagossians, who accuse London of carrying out an “illegal occupation” and denying them access to their homeland.

Following Tuesday’s vote, “the UPU will cease registering, distributing and transmitting stamps” bearing the mention British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), the name given by Great Britain to the archipelago, Jugnauth said.

In 2019, the International Court of Justice ruled that Britain must relinquish control of the islands.

The Chagos Islands. By Sabrina BLANCHARD (AFP)

Later that year, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution recognizing that “the Chagos Archipelago is an integral part of the territory of Mauritius” and urged United Nations agencies “to support the decolonization of Mauritius” .

There was no response from Britain to Tuesday’s vote which took place in Abidjan.

Britain insists the archipelago is owned by London and has renewed a lease contract with the United States to use Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands, until 2036.

Diego Garcia played a strategic role during the Cold War, then as an air base, including during the war in Afghanistan.

Since 1975, Mauritius has made a concerted legal effort to ensure the return of the archipelago to its fold.

Earlier this month, the government denied reports that it had allowed India to build a military base on the isolated island of Agalega, after news raised fears of a repeat of the 1965 decision to Britain to separate the Chagos Islands from Mauritius.