Britain, Mauritius in dispute over atoll

LONDON — The British government reaffirmed its sovereignty over a remote Indian Ocean archipelago Monday after Mauritius underlined its own territorial claim by planting a flag on the islands.

Officials planted the red, blue, yellow and green flag of Mauritius on the Peros Banhos atoll in the Chagos Islands, whose residents were expelled by Britain half a century ago to make way for a U.S. military base.

Several Chagos islanders accompanied Mauritian officials on a voyage that also involved a scientific survey of a coral reef. It was the first time they had set foot there since Britain evicted about 2,000 residents in the 1960s and ’70s so the U.S. could build an air base on Diego Garcia, one of the islands.

The Guardian reported that a message from Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth was played at the flag-raising, hailing the “historic visit.”

“The message I wish to give out to the world, as the state with sovereignty over the Chagos archipelago, is that we will ensure a wise stewardship of its territory — over its maritime security, conservation of the marine environment and human rights, notably the return of those of Chagossian origin,” he was quoted as saying.

Britain’s Foreign Office said the U.K. “has no doubt as to our sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, which we have held continuously since 1814.”

(AP/Jorge Saenz) Maka Indigenous people dance Monday during the annual celebration marking the founding of Qemkuket, a town near Puerto Falcon, Paraguay. The Maka, originally from the Chaco region, are celebrating their town’s 37th anniversary.