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

Activists have decried a deal that the UK will cede sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius with the exception of Diego Garcia.

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 United States on Thursday welcomed the "historic agreement" between the United Kingdom and Mauritius on the exercise of sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago and securing

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.

While the UK and US retain a key strategic military base in the Indian Ocean, the two governments remain apprehensive over the security of the island.

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.