The Scattered Islands and France's 'triangle of power' in the Indian Ocean

Four small coral islands, an atoll and a reef in the Indian Ocean are at the centre of geopolitical tensions between France and Madagascar.

Although they cover just 16 square miles of land and have no permanent residents, the "Scattered Islands" represent "part of the unfinished business of decolonisation", said RFI.

'Arbitrarily separated'

The islands are "scattered" across the Mozambique Channel and western Indian Ocean, said France 24. They include Bassas da India, Europa, Juan de Nova, Tromelin and the Glorioso Islands. Aside from a handful of French soldiers posted to military installations, they are uninhabited. But their value is clear: each island gives France control over 200 nautical miles of surrounding waters and collectively more than half of the channel, a key route for global shipping.

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The former French colonies of Madagascar, Mauritius and the Comoros have "long claimed" ownership of the various French-administered islands in the Indian Ocean. During the colonial era, the islands were treated as part of French Madagascar, but when the country achieved independence in 1960, France retained control of the islands.

In 1979, the United Nations passed a non-binding resolution asking France to return the Scattered Islands to Madagascar, saying they had been "arbitrarily separated" just prior to independence.

'Complex legacy'

Madagascar has "seized" on the UK's decision to return the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius to restate its claim to the Scattered Islands, said France 24. "In a further complication," said RFI, Moscow has thrown its weight behind the claim.

In recent years, France has "taken steps" towards "acknowledging its colonial past", said France 24, and Emmanuel Macron has worked to "reshape the country's image" in Africa. But the government "shows little sign" of "relinquishing control" because the islands are crucial to its "triangle of power" in the region, along with Réunion and Mayotte. They anchor France’s maritime, ecological and military reach in the Indian Ocean.

To "avoid any further disputes" that could "undermine its broader Indo-Pacific strategy", France should develop co-management agreements, which "seem to be" the "least controversial" and "most sustainable" way for France to "maintain influence in the region", said The Diplomat.

Last week, Macron paid a two-day state visit to the island nation. It was the first by a French president in 20 years, and recognition of the "complex legacy" of French colonisation in Madagascar, a nation that still faces "significant poverty", said News Central.

A bilateral commission is due to meet in Paris on 30 June to discuss the future of the islands. Andry Rajoelina, president of Madagascar, said the two nations are "determined to find a solution together".