PM Modi unveils India-assisted projects in Mauritius

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a virtual ceremony, on Thursday inaugurated a series of strategic projects in the Agalega island of Mauritius, including a 3-km airstrip and a naval jetty. These projects, in the works since 2015, were jointly inaugurated with Pravind Jugnauth, the prime minister of the island nation, marking a significant development in the bilateral relations of the two countries.

The development of these facilities had spurred widespread speculation about India's intentions, with some media reports in 2021 suggesting New Delhi's ambition to establish a military base on the island—a claim vehemently denied by Prime Minister Jugnauth.

Nonetheless, some experts have highlighted India's strategic interest in Agalega, particularly for maritime surveillance and intelligence operations using its P8I surveillance aircraft. Agalega's strategic position in the southwestern Indian Ocean, near the critical Mozambique Channel, underscores its value for maritime surveillance.

“Agalega is very centrally located in the Indian Ocean region. It is about 2,000 nautical miles from the southern coast of India, 1,000 nautical miles from Diego Garcia and about ,1400 nautical miles from the Horn of Africa. So if some country like India is able to operate their maritime surveillance aircraft from this location, they will be able to cover the region comprehensively from north to south and east to west,” said KK Agnihotri, senior fellow at the National Maritime Foundation, and a former naval officer.

China's expanding influence in the Indian Ocean has prompted India to seek enhanced security collaborations within the region.

“The dynamics of geopolitical competition between India and China in the Indian ocean will automatically set in, because we are looking at usage of the same sea area, same energy and other resources, our ships use the same international sea lanes, our areas of deep sea research are in common area,” Agnihotri said. 

Moreover, both sides want to develop underwater domain awareness in the area so that the data thus collected can be utilized for submarine operations during times of conflict. So when the maritime security interest of India come across the protection of Chinese overseas interests' imperative, there will be great scope for competitive dynamics, he added.

The development also underscores the strong security relationship between India and Mauritius, which is one of New Delhi’s closest security ally in the region.

“We are actively working to ensure security, prosperity and stability in the Indian Ocean Region. We are cooperating in all areas like monitoring of Exclusive Economic Zone, joint patrolling, hydrography, and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief,” PM Modi said during the inauguration of the new facilities on Thursday. 

The two countries also announced six new community development projects. India has stressed that the development of Agalega is intended to improve the welfare of the island’s residents, strengthening the ties between India and Mauritius.