Defence Web 

September 2, 2021

The South-West Indian Ocean seascape is an increasingly contentious geopolitical space. It is also significant for Africa’s security and development.

So when Al Jazeera provided satellite imagery and residents’ testimony showing that India is building what appears to be military facilities on Mauritius’s North Agaléga island, the story quickly became a matter of public interest. Even the notion of a military facility escalates this beyond India-Mauritius bilateral relations and onto the regional and multilateral level.

So far, the facilities have been framed as a development priority to improve this remote island’s sea and air connectivity and support the Mauritius Coast Guard. The installations would undeniably increase the country’s surveillance, maritime awareness and staging capabilities once fully functional.

But how suitable is a 3 000 m runway, two deepwater jetties, probable barracks and fields with military utility as a service to the 300 people living on two tiny islands seldom visited by tourists?

These developments won’t surprise maritime security and strategy observers of Indo-Pacific affairs. India’s interest in building a facility on the islands goes back well over a decade. Public concern over ceding any sovereignty meant successive Mauritian governments  declined India’s overtures. This changed in 2015 after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mauritian counterpart Pravind Kumar Jugnauth signed a memorandum of understanding to upgrade the facilities.

Mauritius and India will be sensitive to discussions about the matter for two reasons. First, it appears to fit a familiar pattern of naval or military facilities built by non-African states in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Notable examples include those of China and the United States (US) in Djibouti, and Russia in Sudan. Although initiated in the name of anti-piracy and shipping security, they were usually viewed as attempts to create a military presence in the region.

Debates over the impact and functions of these installations are often caught up in the morass of semantics. Both host and constructing states claim they are not creating a ‘base’ (with military connotations). Instead, they use neutral terminology and attribute their need to peaceful purposes and public benefit, such as good order at sea.

Second, both countries shy away from scrutiny that frames this as a matter of ceding sovereignty. Intriguingly, the Seychelles in 2018 opposed India’s request to build facilities on Assumption island due to fears that the deal amounted to giving up territorial control. For Mauritius and Agaléga’s inhabitants, comparisons might be made with Mauritius’s dispute with the United Kingdom (UK) over the decolonisation and sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago, where the UK and US constructed a military base during the Cold War.

A country’s presence in maritime chokepoints offers a significant strategic advantage in times of conflict. North Agaléga is located close to the sea line of communication between the Mozambique Channel and India. While the Mozambique Channel isn’t typically listed as a maritime chokepoint, India is one of the few countries to see it as one and included it in its Maritime Security Strategy.

A state’s ability to have a sustained presence in maritime chokepoints offers a significant strategic advantage in times of conflict. A chokepoint can cause backlogs and delays, severely disrupting shipping routes that countries rely on for food and energy imports.

Thirty percent of global tanker traffic and sizeable offshore gas reserves in the Mozambique Channel have attracted international investment from companies such as TotalEnergies and countries such as Japan, China, the US, EU states, the UK and India. All have a substantial interest in securing the offshore area to extract natural gas that will become an increasingly crucial component of their future energy-generation policies.
India is the third largest consumer of gas in the world, and the security of an efficient sea route from Mozambique to India is undeniably enhanced by facilities on islands such as North Agaléga. Its location is also far enough away from the Mozambique Channel not to alarm other countries, yet close enough to permit a prompt presence and project seapower if needed.

Security of the sea route from Mozambique to India would be enhanced by facilities on North Agaléga. The location and description of facilities can have massive geopolitical ramifications. Calling something a military base is guaranteed to cause a security dilemma between competitive states. Therefore, the presence of non-African navies in African waters and the roles they intend to play are of shared importance.

Steps should be taken to avoid confusion and suspicion that could destabilise the region.
The African Union (AU) and the regional economic communities must ensure that security initiatives by member states are coordinated and managed in the interest of common maritime security.

At a recent AU Peace and Security Council meeting on maritime security, members emphasised that ‘complementary international and/or regional cooperation should be undertaken in a manner that respects the national sovereignty of the concerned littoral states and their national ownership and priorities.’
To follow up on this discussion, a mapping survey could be done of facilities in African territory, analysing the naval or maritime implications for their respective regions.

The AU Political Affairs, Peace and Security Commission could initiate this process by, for instance, organising a meeting to discuss the growing presence of extra-regional actors in the South-West Indian Ocean.
Africa can’t afford to be divided or silent on what seems like a minor maritime issue on a tiny island.
India might respond positively considering that on 9 August it convened and chaired the first UN Security Council debate on maritime security. It emphasised the centrality of international cooperation and freedom of navigation as cornerstones of safety and security at sea.

A discussion initiated by the AU would occur against the backdrop of New Delhi’s global diplomatic efforts to become a globally recognised leader on maritime security throughout the Indian Ocean. This is in Africa’s long-term interest. The continent cannot afford to be divided or silent on what seems like a minor maritime issue on a tiny island. Without AU leadership, the continent risks being swept up and away in tides of geopolitical competition and the actions of navies in African waters.

Evidence points to secret Indian navy base on Mauritian island

Al Jazeera

3 Aug 2021

Satellite imagery, financial data and on-the-ground evidence obtained by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit point to India building a naval facility on the remote Mauritian island of Agaléga.
Military experts who have analysed Al Jazeera’s evidence say an airstrip under construction will almost certainly be used for maritime patrol missions by India’s navy.

Rumours and media reports about the military base first surfaced in 2018 but both Mauritius and India have denied that the construction project is for military purposes and say the infrastructure is only to benefit the islanders.

Satellite pictures reveal how Agaléga, located about 1,100km (684 miles) from Mauritius’ main island and home to about 300 people, is seeing the construction of two large jetties and a runway that is more than 3km (1.84 miles) long.

“It’s an intelligence facility for India to stage air and naval presence in order to increase surveillance in the wider southwest Indian Ocean and Mozambique channel,” Abhishek Mishra, associate fellow at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) think-tank in New Delhi told Al Jazeera.

“Based on my personal information, my conversations with all these people in my circle, the base will be used for the berthing of our ships and the runway will be mostly used for our P-8I aircraft,” Mishra said, referring to India’s P-8I maritime patrol aircraft that can be used for surveillance, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare.

Aircraft that want to land on Agaléga currently have to use a short 800-metre landing strip, only long enough for the Mauritian coastguard’s propeller planes.
The new airstrip, still under construction, will be as long as runways used by the biggest aeroplanes in the world at large international airports.

Samuel Bashfield, a researcher at the National Security College at the Australian National University, told Al Jazeera the Indian Ocean is increasingly becoming a hotspot for nations to expand their geopolitical influence.

“The southwest Indian Ocean is an area where it’s important for India to have areas where their aircraft can support their ships, and also where it has areas it can use as launching pads for operations,” he said.

“I think as an addition to India’s other points that it can operate from, it’s incredibly important,” Bashfield, whose research focuses on strategic and geopolitical issues in the Indian Ocean, said.
“I think it’s an absolutely perfect spot for a military base.”
Using shipping data, Al Jazeera tracked about a dozen bulk carriers that made the trip from Indian ports to Agaléga to deliver construction materials.

The pictures and data show how, over the last two years, the island has become home to hundreds of construction workers living in a semi-permanent camp on the northern tip of the 12km (7.5-mile) long island.

Maritime patrols

The infrastructure construction on Agaléga comes after a deal made in 2015 between the governments of Mauritius and India.

The two countries agreed on “setting up and upgradation of infrastructure for improving sea and air connectivity at the Outer Island of Mauritius which will go a long way in ameliorating the condition of the inhabitants of this remote Island” and improving the facilities used by the Mauritian coastguard.

In May 2021, during a session in parliament, Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth categorically denied that the construction is for military purposes. “Let me reiterate, most emphatically and in unequivocal terms, that there is no agreement between Mauritius and India to set up a military base in Agaléga”.
According to Bashfield’s calculations, that is not the whole truth.
“There’s no real reason why this island would be developed other than for military use.”

“The purpose of the facilities is allowing the Indian military, and also the Mauritian coastguard to have access and to be able to operate out of this area. So while the Mauritian government’s certainly correct that it will provide an improved link, it’s certainly not the rationale for the project,” Bashfield said.
Mishra thinks optics are the reason for India’s denial of the project’s real purpose.

“From an Indian perspective, we cannot be seen as someone who is supporting militarisation of our region,” he said.
“We are concerned that China has acquired its first overseas base in 2017 in Djibouti, for us then to go and do the same thing would be hypocritical. So at the most what we can say is this base, it will certainly have some military elements, but mostly it will be used for operational turnover.”

Countering China

Countering China’s expansion into the Indian Ocean seems to be India’s main goal for the facility, as it wants to provide a counterweight to China’s rising power.

“We see in the last few years that the Indian Ocean’s becoming much more multi-polar in nature,” Bashfield said.
“We see China asserting greater influence and we see various Chinese military platforms in the Indian Ocean,” he said, referring to China’s military base in Djibouti and access to several ports in the region.

As a result, India has stepped up its game as well, Mishra explained.
It has provided coastal radar systems to several nations in the region, including the Maldives and Mauritius.
With a military facility on Agaléga, India would be capable of tracking ships near the crucial Mozambique Channel.

“The aim of the Agaléga Island agreement which India and Mauritius have entered into is for the island to act as a crucial node in expanding India’s overall footprint in the region”, Mishra said.
“It will provide a useful location for communication and electronic intelligence collection.”

The Investigative Unit has contacted all those involved in this investigation.
The Mauritian government restated its position that there is “no agreement between Mauritius and India to set up a military base in Agaléga.”
It added that by the term “military base”, it means: “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 Agaléga 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.”
India’s Ministry of Defence and Ministry of External Affairs did not respond to our request for comment.

Agaléga islanders fear for future due to secret Indian navy base

Al Jazeera

3 Aug 2021

The 300 or so people on the Mauritian island of Agaléga fear for their future as they feel the island is likely to become home to an Indian naval facility.
An investigation by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit (I-Unit) reveals how, over the last two years, India has been building a 3km (1.8 miles) airstrip and two large jetties designed for military purposes.

Military analysts confirmed Al Jazeera’s findings, saying the island will likely be used by the Indian navy for maritime intelligence and reconnaissance missions.
Rumours and media reports about the military base first surfaced in 2018 but both Mauritius and India have denied that the construction project is for military purposes and say the infrastructure is only for the benefit of the islanders.

The Agaléens, who mostly live off of fishing and coconut farming, do not believe the official account that the $250m construction project is for them.
“We asked for an airport and hospital, but we didn’t ask for such a big airport,” Franco Poulay, who lives on the island, told Al Jazeera.
“When we see this airport, we are worried.”
His brother, Arnaud Poulay, echoed his remarks.

“We do need a port, on the other hand, we can also see it’s not for our benefit. Today no Agaléens are being trained to work on the new port, so it’s clear that it will be Indian workers who will be employed on the port,” Arnaud added.
“Our kids, our youth who are unemployed, are not being trained.”

Diego Garcia

The Agaléens fear their fate will echo that of the residents of Diego Garcia, a Mauritian island the country’s former colonial ruler, the UK, leased to the US in 1966.
In 1971, it was turned into a US military base and residents of the island were forcibly resettled elsewhere.

Today, the base is home to 15 separate US military commands and serves surface fleets, submarine units and long-range bomber planes.
Diego Garcia, part of the Chagos archipelago has also been part of a longstanding dispute between the UK and Mauritius. Earlier this year, a United Nations maritime court decided the UK has no sovereignty over the archipelago, but the UK said it would return it only when it no longer serves defence purposes.
Those who lived on Diego Garcia before it was turned into a military base have been fighting for their right to return ever since.

The people on Agaléga point at what they say are efforts to make life on the island harder, such as making it mandatory for pregnant women to give birth of Mauritius, preventing cement from being brought to the island and the fact that they are currently not allowed to bring cattle to the island.

Those who left the island say their return is made almost impossible.
Those who wish to travel to and from Agaléga take a ship that makes the journey every three months from the main island of Mauritius. However, Agaléens have complained that the voyage has become more problematic.
“Since 2013, we’ve wanted to go back,” 67-year-old Rosalette Jasmin told Al Jazeera.

“My two brothers are there, my nephews and nieces are there too. I want to go see them, [but] every time I go to enquire about tickets, they tell me it is fully booked, try next time,” she said.
“Always, next time, until you get tired of it and discouraged.”
The islanders also point to a government plan to have those who wish to travel to the island pay a hefty government fee for medical emergencies in case something happens to them when they are on the island.

After protests, that plan was shelved, but it remains hard for those wanting to go back to Agaléga to get there.
“It’s so heartbreaking to see your island being exploited by others whereas those of us who were born there, we cannot go to our island just for a short while to breathe in the air where we were born,” Alix Calapin, an Agaléen now living on Mauritius’ main island told Al Jazeera.
Calapin has been wanting to go back to the island for years but has also always been told the ship she wants to travel on has no spots left.

According to Samuel Bashfield, a researcher at the National Security College at the Australian National University, there are similarities and differences to the Diego Garcia situation.
“In Agaléga, there is potential for a similar type of event happening,” he told Al Jazeera, though he does not think Mauritius will cede sovereignty of the island to India.
“Both governments have said that they’re not going to deport the people and that the people will still be able to live there.”

However, things will definitely change once the base, from which India almost certainly will launch maritime patrol missions using its aircraft, is finished according to Bashfield.
“Operating a military base has certain ramifications, certain implications,” he said.
“No doubt life will be very different on the island, once this military base is finished. You don’t want people walking through a military base, that’s for sure.”

The Investigative Unit contacted all those involved in this investigation.
The Mauritian government restated its position that “there is no agreement between Mauritius and India to set up a military base in Agaléga.”
It added that by “military base”, it means: “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.”
Mauritius also said the government has no intention of displacing people living on the island.
India’s Ministry of Defence and Ministry of External Affairs did not respond to our requests for comment.