The British government has handed control of the strategically significant Chagos Islands to Mauritius, after the controversial, multi-billion pound move survived an eleventh-hour legal challenge and months of criticism on both sides of the Atlantic.

A ceremony transferring sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius was called off at the last moment after the High Court in London granted an injunction to islanders.

This is a photo collection curated by AP photo editors.

The UK has signed a deal to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, and lease back the military base there for £101m a year. We use cookies to give you the best online experience. Strictly necessary cookies are on by default. Additional cookies are off by default.

One hundred…million pounds. That is (roughly) the (annual) amount Britain will pay Mauritius to keep a military base on the Chagos Islands crucial to British and indeed American security.