The U.K. says it has reached a "historic" deal to cede the Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean to the Republic of Mauritius, thus surrendering the final colony of Britain's once-sprawling African empire.

UK agrees to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, to Mauritius

The deal grants Mauritius full sovereignty over the archipelago, while simultaneously guaranteeing the operation of the US-UK military base for 99 years.