Mauritius sends a team of its officers to the disputed British-owned islands

The Mauritian government is sending a boat to the disputed Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean. The Chagos Islands are British-owned but Mauritius has received growing international support for its repatriation campaign.

The boat was carrying senior Mauritian government officials and some elderly Chagosia people who were forced by Britain to leave their homes 50 years ago.The official reason for this unprecedented boat trip is science.The government of Mauritius plans to evaluate a map of rocks in the water near the distant Chagos Islands.But this trip is very political - some might say - Mauritius' provocative move, which is increasingly, wanting to claim what it holds as its legitimate claims to the islands.Britain says Mauritius could restore Chagos when it is no longer needed for security purposes.One of the islands, Diego Garcia, is home to a major US military base.But, given the views of the world - in the United States and beyond - now supporting Mauritius, Britain is under tremendous pressure to hand over the Chagos Islands now.The British Foreign Office has been notified of the boat trip.