United Nations, February 27 (RHC)-- The United Nations top court has ruled that Britain should hand over control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The court said Britain's takeover of Chagos in 1965 was illegal and that Chagos should have been returned to Mauritius after it gained independence from the U.K. in 1968.

The archipelago, located in the Indian Ocean, is home to a contested U.S. military base on the island of Diego Garcia. Britain expelled many of the island’s inhabitants 50 years ago to make way for the air base.

Original residents of the islands say they hope the ruling means they will be allowed to return home; however, the U.N. court’s ruling is not binding, and Britain’s official response has not been announced.