India is expected to favour Mauritius at the oral proceedings in the International Court of Justice which is scheduled in September.
The case is related to sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago which is disputed between Mauritius and the United Kingdom. According to Mauritius' submission to the United Nations over the years, the Chagos Archipelago is part of its territory and the United Kingdom's (UK) claims to the archipelago is a clear violation of United Nations resolutions banning the dismemberment of colonial territories before independence. The UK has reasoned that it is clear about its sovereignty over the Chagos, and has also affirmed that it will be returned to Mauritius once the islands are no longer required for defence purposes.
The International Court of Justice on Wednesday, Aug 1, has announced the schedule and the name of the participants' countries for the oral proceedings on the issue.
Mauritius has contended the legality of UK's claims on these groups of islands which it carved out just before independence. The archipelago is maintained as the "British Indian Ocean territory" by the UK. In fact, along with the UK, the US also has a big stake in this issue as it has been operating in Diego Garcia as its naval base in the Indian Ocean region. Interestingly, Diego Garcia is the largest island in the Chagos group.
The UK is likely to get strong support from allies in the Indian Ocean region and Australia. On the other hand, Mauritius is expected to get more numbers from the African Union, India and many Latin American nations supporting the island nation.
India has been constantly supporting Mauritius on the Chagos issue but has been careful in balancing its relationship with the UK and US which have also had stakes on these islands. The US presence in the Indian Ocean region is helpful for India to contain the growing presence of China in these parts and at any cost, India would not want a power vacuum in the Indian Ocean region.
