However, over recent years, other actors have popped up wanting to play a role, most notably Australia, Japan and China. Plantation slavery may have originated on a tiny west African island at the equator, according to archaeologists who investigated a 16th-century sugar mill and estate. The base could also be used for staging Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations, which have become an important feature of Indian diplomacy INS Jalashwa is currently on its way to Madagascar (not far from Mauritius) with assistance to deal with the crisis triggered by a severe drought. Also Read: Two Indian Warships Head To Bangladeshs Mongla Port, Where Navy Launched A Daring Covert Operation Against Pakistan In 1971 War. Over the last 50 years, the region has mostly been dominated by India, France, the US and the UK, Dave explained. Currently, aircraft use a short. Under the Constitution of Mauritius, Agalga is a constituent island of the Republic of Mauritius. Here, we see the inside of a building at Praia Melo that researchers excavated. New communications and intelligence infrastructure will come up on the island, improving Indias situational awareness in this part of the Indian Ocean amid increasing Chinese presence, including a base in Djibouti. The atoll of Agalega is situated at around 1080 km north of Mauritius and consists of two islands: the North Island and the South Island, both separated by a shallow bank of 1.2 kilometers. In 2017, when he was asked by the Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly if India will base troops at Agalega, Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said it will have to ask for permission from Mauritian authorities. For instance, inhabitants have said they have been forbidden to bring cement to the island, preventing them from doing construction of their own. By 1495, to supply labor for the sugar trade, the Portuguese rulers forced convicts, Jewish children and enslaved Africans to move to the island. Underground Railroad secrets revealed with drones, lasers and radar. His comments were echoed by Samual Bashfield, who said it is quite common for countries to allow foreign militaries on their territory. Supplies anything from cattle to food for the local store are brought in every three months, delivered by the same ship every time, the MV Trochetia. The islands have a total land area of 27 square miles and are separated by a stretch of sand bank. It is an important channel of trade for China as a large portion of its imports pass through the Indian Ocean and through the Straits of Malacca.. When sugar production wanned on the island, the mill was repurposed to process alcohol and cassava flour. Its inhabitants are Mauritian citizens. A meteorological and a wireless transmitting and receiving station is there in this island. The island is around 61 km long and 45 km wide, with an area of 1,864 km; in comparison, it is slightly smaller than Tenerife or about as big as Maui, Hawaii. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. The Outer Islands Development Corporation Act No 41 of 1982 provides the following under the item objects of the Corporation: (a)responsible of the management and development of the Outer Islands; (i)the development of such activities as may lead to a more economic exploitation of the Outer Islands; (ii)the grant or determination of leases over the Outer Islands on such terms and conditions as shall warrant their optimum use. We do need a port because it was dangerous, the way we used to work, with small boats going back and forth to disembark, which was very dangerous, he said. Vingt Cinq and la Fourche are the two villages in the North island and Ste Rita is the only village in the South Island. Apart from the inland structures, satellite imagery from December 2020 also shows two new jetties. The existing runway on the island was in such poor shape that the Dornier 228 aircraft bought from India and operated by the Mauritius Coast Guard was damaged on multiple occasions, while landing and taking off from the island. Meet 12 Incredible Conservation Heroes Saving Our Wildlife From Extinction, India's Leopard God, Waghoba, Aids Wildlife Conservation In The Country, India's Bishnoi Community Has Fearlessly Protected Nature For Over 500 Years, Wildfires And Habitat Loss Are Killing Jaguars In The Amazon Rainforest, In India's Sundarbans: Where People Live Face-To-Face With Wild Tigers, Africa's "Thunderbird" Is At Risk Of Extinction. Time will tell exactly how India will make use of these facilities on Agalga once completed later this year. Much of the world's attention amid Maui's wildfires has been focused on Lahaina, which bore the brunt of the deadliest U.S . Rodriguez is the second biggest island in Mauritius with an area of 42 square miles, and the twin islands of Agalega follow with a combined land mass of around 9.3 square miles. [28] Mauritius is consistently ranked as the most peaceful African country. "The runway is considerable in length, about 3,000 metres, which is capable of hosting maritime surveillance aircraft, and the port facilities do have the hallmarks of being for military use," he said. Despite its Diego Garcia base, the United States no longer enjoys predominance in this increasingly multipolar region in which no one power wields hegemonic influence. New evidence is emerging of a secretive Indian military base being built in the Indian Ocean, at the same time as Australia expands its Defence cooperation with the rising global power. Agalga is a dependency of Mauritius which consists of two outer islands located in the Indian Ocean, about 1,050 km north of Mauritius Island. Maui Upcountry fires leave residents homeless, fearful of future 02:15. 2 TERRITORIES AND DEPENDENCIES Agalega, April 20, 2022. Geographically its in a fantastic spot, being in the central ocean, but also on that southwestern side, he added, referring to its proximity to the Mozambique Channel which sees a lot of international shipping. Latitude. That doesnt mean that theyre handing over the island or giving up sovereignty. New York, While other Portuguese sugar mills relied on enslaved people solely for manual labor, in the So Tom sugar plantation system, enslaved people largely from what are now Benin, the Republic of the Congo, Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo performed nearly all the tasks, from the harvesting and processing of sugarcane to the carpentry and stone masonry needed to build and run the mills. Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. The only indication India will be using the island for its operations came in 2018, when Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth confirmed to the Financial Times India would be allowed to utilise the facilities in Agalga subject to prior notification from the competent authorities of Mauritius. In the new study, researchers led by M. Dores Cruz, a historical anthropologist in the Department of African Studies at the University of Cologne in Germany, along with colleagues from the University of So Tom e Prncipe (USTP) investigated Praia Melo, a newly identified estate on the island's northeastern coast that is the first of So Tom's sugar mills to be analyzed with modern archaeological methods. Why Is Biodiversity Critical To Life On Earth? 9 metres (30 feet) Open Location Code. (Image credit: M.D. The Mauritian government restated its position that there is no agreement between Mauritius and India to set up a military a base in Agalga. It added that it used the term military base to mean a facility owned and operated by, or for, the military for sheltering of military equipment and personnel, on a permanent basis and for military operations., It stated that construction work on Agalga is designed to improve the inadequate infrastructure facilities on the island, which will remain under the control of the Mauritian authorities and any use thereof by any foreign country will be subject to the approval of the Government of Mauritius.. A broken ring of mountain ranges with elevations of 300 to 800 meters above sea level surround Mauritius Island. Tourists are able to reach this island either by sea or by air. So Tom (Portuguese for "Saint Thomas"), an island 150 miles (240 kilometers) west of Gabon in the Gulf of Guinea, was first settled by the Portuguese in the late 15th century. In peace time, effective maritime domain awareness helps establish international partnerships with like-minded militaries and also acts as a deterrent to both state and non-state adversaries, by signalling reach and an intention to safeguard interests in a selected area. In recent years, China has increased naval deployments into the Indian Ocean, developed what some analysts call a string of pearls a network of military and commercial facilities along the Indian Ocean littorals, effectively encircling India and even established its first overseas naval base in Djibouti. India has access to military facilities of Japan, France and the United States all three have bases in the western Indian Ocean under the logistics exchange agreements it has signed with these countries. Around 300 residents are living in both islands, and until recently, there was no money circulation, and the people depended on government vouchers for survival. North and South Agalga islands, which are home to approximately 300 ethnically Creole Agalens, are located in the strategically important southwestern part of the Indian Ocean. There was no jetty big enough for a ship like the Trochetia to moor, so it had to drop anchors some distance from the coast, and small ships took supplies to shore. He denied that there was an agreement with India to build a military base on Agalga. Agalega Islands at Mauritius are dotted with small picturesque villages. This time, it stayed for more than 200 days, from late September 2020 until April 2021. Praia Melo, a sugar mill and estate located on So Tom, is the first major site for archaeological research on the island. The project, which was first mooted in 2005 and became a contentious issue in the domestic politics of Mauritius, made little progress in the first few years after the agreement was signed. As of 2014, the island's population was about 41,669, according to Statistics Mauritius. Mauritian government officials have repeatedly avoided answering questions by opposition members and Agaleens about the project, raising suspicions about intentions. What Is The Ethnic Composition Of Mauritius? For the people of Agalega, it is that secrecy, from India but more importantly from the Mauritian government, that has made them wary of promises that they by the Mauritian govermment that they have nothing to worry about. Maintenance is handled by the state company Outer Island Development Corporation, which provides everything from general supplies to water, electricity and internet. Researchers survey and document the archaeologicalremains at Praia Melo, the only sugar estate on So Tom that has been investigated with modern techniques. The archipelago of So Tom e Prncipe was claimed as a Portuguese territory in the late 15th century. The purpose is allowing the Indian military, and also the Mauritian coast guard, to have access and to be able to operate out of this area.. This has led to fear among Agaleens that they might become the victims of a geopolitical game of chess and eventually be forced off the islands. The atoll of Agalega is situated at around 1080 km north of Mauritius and consists of two islands: the North Island and the South Island, both separated by a shallow bank of 1.2 kilometers. Kristina earned a doctorate in anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and also holds bachelor's and master's degrees in classical archaeology. Between early 2019 and early 2021, Al Jazeeras Investigative Unit tracked more than 12 ships from Indian ports to Agalega, they were part of a project the islands inhabitants fear might spell doom for their future. For instance, military facilities on India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the northeastern Indian Ocean, at the junction of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, were also enhanced to better support India's patrol aircraft missions. And Agalga is not the only Indian Ocean island modified for P-8 use. [29] Longitude. Tourists are able to reach Agalega either by sea travel or by air travel. Related: Enslaved people were kidnapped from all across Africa, rare look at DNA from colonial cemetery reveals. After 18 months of construction, tiny Agalega has an airstrip and naval jetty experts say will be used by India as a base of military operations, part of its plans to expand its geopolitical influence in the Indian Ocean. The government provides free universal healthcare, free education up through the tertiary level and free public transportation for students, senior citizens, and the disabled. It went on to say that although Mauritian officials denied plans to cede the islands to India, Mauritian officials used extraordinarily cautious wording, which might indicate that there is more to these reports that [sic] the government has admitted. Agalegas strategic position in the Indian Ocean and its potential as a military outpost has been discussed for decades. The northern island only had a short runway about 800 metres (0.5 mile) long just long enough for small propeller planes used by the Mauritian coastguard but too short for cargo planes. Both the islands have generator sets for supply of electricity from 10.00 am to 11.00 am in the morning and 6.00 to 10.00 pm in the evening. 2023 Outer Islands Development Corporation. After extensively reviewing recently declassified British and American government archives, we can reveal that the United States sought Agalga in 1964 and 1965, as it negotiated with Britain over which islands would constitute the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). The two islands are only about 25sq km (9.65sq miles) but, despite their small size, they may play an important role in a geopolitical game between rising superpowers and their struggle for dominance in the Indian Ocean. India building secretive base in Mauritius as it strengthens military ties with Australia. Sand tracks constitute the main road tracks. In 1982, the Agalega Corporation Act was repealed and replaced by the Outer Islands Development Corporation Act to include all outer islands within the state of Mauritius other than Rodrigues. The Agalega Islands cover a land area of 70 square kilometers. But that all changed in late 2019 when large bulk carriers appeared near the tip of the northern island. Featuring a now-collapsed clay roof common in Portuguese buildings of the 16th century, the building is two stories tall. Although those cables, released by WikiLeaks , acknowledge there was no concrete evidence USSR planned to purchase Agalega, they show it has long been considered a possible location for a military base. The US-made P-8, based on the Boeing 737 passenger aircraft, is a cutting-edge maritime patrol aircraft, tasked with anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. India is building military infrastructure on Mauritius' Agalega Island to increase its presence in the western Indian Ocean. -10.4 or 10 24' south. Greg Poling, a senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, told Al Jazeera Chinas plans for the Indian Ocean have refocused Indias attention. In this sense, the facilities at Agalga would enable India to keep an eye on this part of the ocean and will constitute a key staging post in the Indian maritime domain awareness network. The biggest island in the country is Mauritius Island with a total land area of 718 square miles, covering 92.5% of the country. If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. It is not a hard security alliance, he said, adding that the Quad at the moment does not have a secretariat for example. They should not think that we will accept to become like Diego Garcia, we wont accept that ever. "The building is in very bad shape, with cracks on the walls and walls bulging, and it is also covered by vegetation," she said, so she is currently searching for funding to preserve the site. Prakhar Gupta is a senior editor at Swarajya. These islands emerged from abysses when volcanic actions took place underwater. It is important insofar as it will enable Indian eyes in the sky across the southwest Indian Ocean, which policymakers in Delhi hope will restrain Chinese encroachment. Due to high rates of malaria, though, So Tom was thought of as a death trap. Other countries that are active in the region have been France, which has territory in the region through Reunion Island, as well as the United States, which has a military base on Diego Garcia.. Island of Agalega increased from 270 (170 males and 100 females) to 330 (170 males and 160 females). "Archaeologically speaking, Sao Tome is uncharted territory," Marco Meniketti, an archaeologist at San Jos State University in California who was not affiliated with the project, told Live Science in an email. Over the last two decades, more countries have started looking at the Indian Ocean as a future geopolitical hotspot. The boat Mauritius Pride sail to the Agalega Islands everyday with thousands of tourists. But today no Agalens are being trained to work on the new port, so its clear that it will be Indian workers who will be employed, he said. The northern island became home to hundreds of construction workers from India. The island's plantations were so successful that in the 1530s, So Tom surpassed Madeira an Atlantic archipelago that the Portuguese used for their lucrative sugar operations in supplying the European markets with sugar, and dozens of sugar mills were built. A 16th-century sugar estate on the tiny African island of So Tom is the earliest known example of plantation slavery. The rise of China, and really the pressure on two fronts, you have the land border on the Himalayas, where we saw the deadly clash in the Galwan Valley last year, and Chinas emergence as a naval player in the Indian Ocean, has become the strategic concern for Delhi, Poling said. Visitors can also spot the Agalega Island Day Gecko, an endemic species of gecko, unique to these islands. The Republic of Mauritius is an island country in the Indian Ocean, 950 km to the east of Madagascar. Designed and hosted by Government Online Centre. In a sense trying to reinforce the idea that its India that provides public goods in the Indian Ocean.. It is very close to the Reunion island which is a french oversea territory. Second, it is simply a case of what governments always do when it comes to their military operations, namely keeping adversaries in the dark. Australia has also recently indicated it would like to see India join the next Exercise Talisman Sabre, which this year included forces from Japan and South Korea, as well as the United States. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. India has long standing defence and security relationships with all of these countries, Dave explained. The atoll, which was once known as La Perle des Iles Huile has a population of 359. He said it would be used to "stage [an Indian] air and naval presence in order to increase surveillance in the wider south-west Indian Ocean and Mozambique channel". 56.61667 or 56 37' east. Next, the sugar was put into cone-shaped ceramic molds, which allowed molasses to drain out and the sugar crystals to dry and harden. Cruz; Antiquity Publications Ltd). The northern island is long and thin, the southern island, across a 200-metre-wide (218-yard) channel, short and round. Samuel Bashfield, a researcher at the ANU's National Security College, told the Qatar-based broadcaster that the Indian Ocean is increasingly becoming a hotspot for nations to expand their geopolitical influence. The natural beauty is simply appealing. Its trying to bring everybody into the new maritime fusion centre that Delhis built, Poling explained, referring to an intelligence and data gathering project officially aimed at increasing security in the Indian Ocean. For three months, the Glocem stayed near Agalga then went to the Seychelles, which is closer than Mauritius, for 24 hours almost certainly to refuel before returning. An example was Indias heavy investment in regional coastal radar systems, with stations in the Seychelles, the Maldives, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Mauritius. But, as Franco Poulay told Al Jazeera, they do not plan on leaving the island. Agalega Islands in Mauritius is famous for coconut trees. The Agalega Islands, lying 620 miles north of Mauritius Island, are two islands in the Indian Ocean. [15][16] Satellite images in Google Earth indicate that a new airstrip and buildings adjacent to it were constructed in the period 2020-2023. Agalga, located about 1,100 kilometres from Mauritius' main island and home to about 300 people, is likely to facilitate maritime patrols over the Mozambique Channel now apopular passagefor large commercial ships, particularly oil tankers. Stay up to date on the latest science news by signing up for our Essentials newsletter. Mauritius and Seychelles have often disputed over the Chagos Archipelago, which lies 1,287 kilometers northeast of Mauritius Island, for a long time. The Vingt Cinq village is the main village, housing all the administrative infrastructures. Al Jazeeras Investigative Unit could only verify that Mauritian authorities visited the island. It has been a bit ignored in geopolitical discourse, Aaditya Dave told Al Jazeera. Freedom of navigation through this territory is important for a number of different countries for their energy security, as well as for economic prosperity, he added. Both islands are part of the territories and dependencies of the Republic of Mauritius. As you are no doubt aware, Swarajya is a media product that is directly dependent on support from its readers in the form of subscriptions. Piton de la Petite Riviere Noire which stands at 2,717 feet is the highest point on the island. India asserts that these new facilities are part of its Security and Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) policy, which aims to increase maritime cooperation between countries in the region. Both islands are part of the territories and dependencies of the Republic of Mauritius. The secrecy by both the Mauritian and Indian governments surrounding the construction of the military facility on Agalga has raised quite a few eyebrows in Mauritius, as the only public document about the project is the 2015 MoU between Mauritius and India. They would stay there, for months sometimes, offloading cargo. Recent satellite images and other documents detail progress on the construction of two naval jetties and a large runway on the remote Mauritian island of Agalga. By air the visitors can reach this island by a Dornier aircraft, which belongs to the Coast Guard Department of the Mauritian Police Force. Diego Garcia is by far the biggest of the 58 small islands that are all administered by the UK. Portugal's rulers forced convicts, Jewish children and enslaved Africans to move to the island and work at estates like Praia Melo. The Agalega Islands cover a land area of 70 square kilometers. The United Kingdom on November 8, 1965, split the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius alongside Seychelles islands of Aldabra, Desroches, and Farquhar to form the British Indian Ocean Territory.
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