French Islands in Indian Ocean: a geostrategic presence and Antarctic dimension

By:

Mohammed Khalid* Abstract:

With the rise of colonialism in 17th century, France was among other European colonial powers who occupied some of the littoral lands around the Indian Ocean, including many big or small islands. After subjugating these lands, under the pressure of circumstances, the British, Dutch, Italian and Portuguese withdrew from the scene but France retained some of the islands in the west and south of the Indian Ocean. Seemingly insignificant, these islands are strategically located and potentially provide France a physical presence in the Indian Ocean. Bigger islands include Mayotte and Reunion and smaller ones are the Scattered Islands in the Mozambique Channel and French Southern and Antarctic Lands. France has deployed its military forces on some of these islands to protect its national interests in the Indian Ocean including the protection of its trade and oil supplies. France has an elaborate research programme on Antarctica and has developed scientific laboratories and placed its scientists on the French occupied southern islands. These scientific endeavours and military presence in the Indian Ocean and Antarctica make France a global player in international relations. Some 9,000 km. away from the mainland France, these islands are French extension in the Indian Ocean providing it sovereign rights on about 2,700 000 sq km of Exclusive
*Associate Professor in Political Science, Department of Evening Studies Panjab University Chandigarh

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Economic Zones (EEZ) contiguous to these islands. The paper is an attempt to understand and analyse the French presence on the islands in the Indian Ocean.
France has a long-standing presence in the Indian Ocean especially in its south-west since the early days of colonialism in the 17th century. Rivaling with Britain for supremacy, it established trading and military posts on Indian Ocean littoral with strong presence in Chandernagore, Pondicherry, Yemen, Mahe, and Karikal during 17th and 18th centuries. France founded its colonies in the islands of Reunion in 1664, Mauritius in 1718, Seychelles in 1756, and Madagascar in 1883. After a series of wars with Britain during the 18th century and the first half of 19th century, France lost many of its colonies and subsequently gave up its colonial ambitions in the Indian Ocean region. The Region was dominated by the British Empire in 19th till the mid 20th century. After Indias independence in 1947 France lost Pondicherry in 1954. It however retained the islands of Reunion, Mayotte, Comoros and the strategically located French scattered islands and its Southern and Antarctic Lands.1 Having established its presence in the region for a long time, France has a high degree of influence in the western Indian Ocean and considers it of strategic importance. Using its cultural-linguistic ties and military power, France has intended to play a role in this area to protect its national interest and has maintained close co-operation with its former island colonies. Inspite of its locational distance of some 9,000 km from the region, France is geographically present in the islands of Runion, Mayotte, the scattered Islands in the Mozambique Channel, and the French Southern and Antarctic Territories. France has defence needs, sovereignty obligations and economic stakes in the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) of about 2 700 000 sq km. contiguous to its island possessions.

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To protect its islands, France has military bases in the region including its naval base of Pointe des Galets, on Reunion Island. It has stationed patrol vessels, transport ship and a frigate in Reunion to protect sea lines of communication (SLOCS) off the southern and eastern coasts of Africa.2 The island of Mayotte, alongside Comoros at the northern entrance to the Mozambique Channel is 101st French department strongly bound with the metropolis. To provide security to this remote island France has set up 270-strong Detachment there to act as a ready reaction force. The force contributes to regional security by conducting maritime surveillance in the Mozambique Channel; carrying humanitarian assistance operations, and holding training exercises with the armed forces of neighbouring countries, particularly Madagascar. Apart from these bases, France has developed an airstrip of more than 1,000 meters at Banc du Geyser, an oval-shaped reef that is mostly submerged and becomes exposed only at low tides. Banc du Geyser is strategically located in the northeastern part of Mozambique Channel, 125 km northeast from Mayotte, and 200 km off the northwestern coast of Madagascar. Similarly there are roughly circular islands of Bassas da India located in the southern Mozambique Channel, the islands became a French possession in 1897 and they are administered from Reunion since 1968. France has set up a weather station and a garrison at Europa Island (a part of Scattered Islands which constitute the 5th district of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands) which is in possession of France since 1897. About 160 km northwest of Madagascar, France has constructed a 1,300 metre long airstrip, a garrison and a meteorological station at Glorioso Islands. In the narrowest part of the Mozambique Channel, France possesses Juan de Nova Island which is one of the scattered islands with an air strip, a garrison and

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a weather station.3 Weather station is used to warn of cyclones threatening Madagascar, Reunion and Mauritius. French Southern and Antarctic Lands in the southern Indian Ocean and close to Antarctica include the Amsterdam Island, a French colony since 1924 and its military base since 1949. France has set up there a research station for its scientists involved in biological, meteorological and geomagnetic studies. About 85 km southwest of the Amsterdam is located the Saint Paul Island which is under French possession since 1893. Administered from Reunion, it is used for breeding of seabirds. France has also set up a nature reserve and scientific base "Alfred Faure", at the sub-Antarctic archipelago of Crozet Islands. Similarly, on the Kerguelen Islands, situated midway between Africa, Antarctica and Australia, France maintains a permanent presence of 50 to 100 scientists, engineers and researchers.4 France has regularly maintained its military presence in French Southern and Antarctic Lands and has patrolled the waters around these islands and archipelagoes since 1938. French frigate Nivse based at Reunion conducts operations in the Mozambique Channel to ward off the Somali pirates. French scattered islands are located in highly strategic waterway of Mozambican Channel. In 2011 Somali pirates attacked three ships indicating that piracy in the western Indian Ocean has moved southward. Mozambique Channel is an important shipping route from southern Africa and the South Atlantic to and from the Indian Ocean and piracy could critically endanger the maritime trade passing through the Channel. About 30 per cent of the worlds oil and almost 100 per cent of South African trade is carried on its waters. French forces have been active in and around the mozambique Channel conducting maritime surveillance and anti-piracy patrols. French navy has conducted exercises with South African and Mozambican Navy
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in October 2011 to demonstrate its anti-piracy operations. Due to paucity of resources Mozambique cannot police the Channel on its own and has to be dependent on France along with South Africa, but it participates in Maritime surveillance and training exercises have been mooted jointly by South Africa, France and Mozambique. The Indian Ocean is of enormous significance to France for its energy security needs. France has continued to hold its presence on its long occupied islands. Due to strategic reasons, French national interest in the region is bound with these islands. About one quarter of its oil needs are supplied from the Indian Ocean littoral. Apart from its considerable physical presence on many islands, in 2009 France set up its military base at Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates (UAE) with around 100 ground troops, a naval base, and an air base at nearby Al-Dhafra, which contains three Mirage multi-role combat aircraft. French 13th Demi-Brigade of the Foreign Legion Based in Djibouti since 1962 was relocated to the Emirates in June 2011. French presence in Abu Dhabi at the junction of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz is aimed to ensure the stability of its oil supplies from the Persian Gulf region. It is meant to help meet the strategic challenge from Iran and capture a share of the region's rich arms market for the French defense industry. Maintaining strong ties with Djibouti, French Army has stationed its 5th Overseas Interarms Regiment along with some fighter aircraft. Of the three main French bases in Africa, the largest is at Djibouti, with smaller forces at Dakar in Senegal and Libreville in Gabon. By this military presence, France probably aims to promote regional security and exercise a measure of military influence in the Middle East. French Maritime Patrol Aircraft, Atlantique-2, based in Djibouti can operate off Somalia to provide necessary inputs about the suspicious ship movements and activities of Somali pirates. Close
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defence cooperation with Djibouti has provided France an ideal logistic support and ensures France a constant strategic presence in East Africa, as well as along the crucial sea lines of communication in the Red Sea connecting Gulf of Aden and the Mediterranean Sea as France imports about 1.3 million barrels of crude oil per day through this route. French military presence in Reunion, Mayotte, Djibouti and the United Arab Emirates has created a French quadrilateral to protect its interests in the region. Control on many islands and archipelagos such as Reunion and Mayotte give France over one million inhabitant French citizens in the region.5 In addition to its strategic presence in Djibouti and UAE, France has established close defence ties with India to which it has supplied diesel-electric submarines, has signed nuclear co-operation agreement in September 2008 to build two nuclear power plants and hold joint naval exercise with Indian navy in the Gulf of Aden.6 France also contributes to the European Unions Operation Atlanta anti-piracy taskforce. Apart from United States, French Navy is the only other outside navy to maintain a permanent presence in the Indian Ocean. France has negotiated an agreement with South Africa on co-operation in the southern Indian Ocean where most of the French administered islands are located. Apart from its strategic involvement France participates in regional cooperation mechanisms in the Indian Ocean. France is a member of the Indian Ocean Commission (Commission de l'Ocan Indien-COI) for Reunion. This organization was established in 1984 with an objective to promote diplomatic, economic and commercial cooperation and collaboration in the field of agriculture, maritime fishing, and the conservation of resources and ecosystems. It also aims at cooperation in cultural, scientific, technical, educational and judicial fields among the member countries. Membership of COI gives
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France an official avenue to maintain economic and cultural bonds with other member countries like Seychelles, Mauritius, Comoros and Madagascar.7 The Indian Ocean Rim-Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) is an international organization with 19 member states from the Indian Ocean region. Established in 1995, the objectives of IOR-ARC are to promote sustainable growth and balanced

development of the region and its member states, focus on the areas of economic cooperation and to promote liberalisation, remove

impediments and lower the barriers towards a freer and enhanced flow of goods, services, investment, and technology within the Indian Ocean rim. France is a Dialogue Partner in IOR-ARC. This linkage provides France an opportunity to further increase its influence in the region.8 France is a member of Southwest Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission (SWIOFC) which consists of the coastal and island states such as the Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Yemen. The commission is sponsored by Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). With the aim to promote the sustainable utilization of the living marine resources of the South West Indian Ocean, by proper management and development of the living marine resources. Fishery catches from these waters are coveted for French food industry. 9 France is also a member of The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), an intergovernmental organization committed to manage tuna and tuna-like species in the Indian Ocean and adjacent seas. The Agreement for the establishment of IOTC was concluded under Article XIV of the FAO constitution. It was approved by the FAO Council in

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November 1993 and came into force upon accession of the tenth member in March 1996. Its objective is to promote cooperation among its Members with a view to ensure, through appropriate management, the conservation and optimum utilisation of stocks and encourage sustainable development of fisheries based on such stocks. Membership of IOTC is open to Indian Ocean coastal countries and to countries or which are members of the United Nations and are fishing for tuna in the Indian Ocean. Along with many countries of Indian Ocean littoral and Islands, France is also a member of the Commission.10 French Indian Ocean territory of Reunion is a member of Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association (WIOMSA), a regional non-governmental, non-profit, organization, based in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Dedicated to promote all aspects of marine sciences throughout the western Indian Ocean (Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, South Africa, Comoros, Madagascar, Seychelles, Mauritius, Reunion (France), it aims toward sustaining the use and conservation of marine resources.11 By maintaining multilateral involvement in the region France desires to remain globally relevant and secure its territories and citizens. By having small military garrisons, teams of scientific researchers, meteorological stations, and aircraft landing strips, France is able to protect the Exclusive Economic Zones of its islands. Antarctic dimension During the 19th century France began to send its expeditions to Antarctica. For the first time a French explorer Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trmarec accompanied by the naturalist Jean Guillaume Bruguire sailed to the Antarctica in 1772 in search of the Terra Australis (a hypothesized continent appearing on European maps from the 15th to the 18th century), where he discovered the Kerguelen

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Islands and took possession of various other territories for France. In 1837, another expedition, led by Jules Dumont d'Urville, sailed along the coastal area of Antarctica that he named the Adlie Coast (in honour of his wife) and landed on an islet of Geologie Archipelago. About 4 km from the mainland, he took mineral and animal samples and undertook some experiments to determine the approximate position of the South magnetic pole. Another French Antarctic Expedition reached Adelaide in 1905to take a pictorial view of Palmer Archipelago and Loubet Coast. Another expedition

commanded by Charcot explored the Bellingshausen Sea and the Amundsen Sea and discovered Loubet Land, Marguerite Bay and Charcot Island. France established its permanent station on Antarctica at Dumont d'Urville located on Petrels island, 5 km from the continent. Situated at 6640S, 14001E and 20 meter above sea level, it carries scientific programmes managed by the French Polar Institute PaulEmile Victor (IPEV) --headquartered in Brest (France). Since 1989, the station has investigated human influences on the Antarctic polar stratosphere, measure ozone and parameters linked to its chemical equilibrium etc. The station can accommodate up to 30 scientists during the winter and about 100 persons in Summer. As Polar Regions, particularly Antarctica, are extremely important places for the observation of both the Earth and outer space, France maintains several observatories on Antarctica to carry out regularly-scheduled missions. France is part of the international surveillance network via an environmental research observatory created following the signature of the Montreal Protocol in 1987, which organizes the return of CFC20 emissions to their natural level. France also uses one radar in the Kerguelen Islands. With Italian cooperation France is in the process of installing two radars at Concordia.

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Like some other countries, France also has established its claims on Antarctica. once resources in the rest of the world became scarce, the world may be able to develop technology to exploit Antarctic resources with polluting its environment and France will have its share in that eventuality. There are seven countries claiming Antarctic land, of these those who are geographically close to Antarctica include Argentina, Australia, Chile, and New Zealand. However France is the only European country who is physically close to the continent. Its Southern and Antarctic territories provide France a solid base to approach Antarctica, carry out scientific research, and exploit the coveted fishery resources from sub-Antarctic and south Indian Ocean waters. No countries of Asia and Africa even if they have set up their permanent research stations on Antarctica enjoy the privileges like France. Conclusion France has traditionally held a high degree of influence in the western Indian Ocean where it has maintained strong cultural ties. It is the only outside country to have a sizable territorial presence in the Indian Ocean region. To protect its territories and fulfill its economic responsibilities, France has maintained a significant economic and military presence in the region. Involvement in the region has helped France to stay relevant in its former colonies and strategically located islands in the Indian Ocean. France has set up sufficient regional mechanism to secure its interests. To keep its commitments in the Indian Ocean, France has deployed naval ships and vassals for surveillance and protection of its interests in the exclusive economic zone in Mozambique Channel and its Southern and Antarctic Lands. French naval presence also dedicates itself to secure the flow of its trade and oil supplies, if needed, assist friendly neighbouring countries to which France is bound by defence agreements.

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France has lent its naval forces to participate in international military actions in the Persian Gulf. During the Iran-Iraq war, it formed a multinational force with USA and Britain to protect the Straits of Hormuz from closure so that its oil supplies were not disrupted. It participated in the embargo against Iraq during the Iraq crises. French forces keep ready to act as evacuation force for its own and European nationals when danger threatens; and protect French sovereignty zones. French forces in the region help in patrolling the sea routes from Suez to Singapore and from Persian Gulf to the Cape; controlling the sea approaches to the French territories of the south Indian Ocean; and calling at the ports of neighbouring countries. French involvement in the Indian Ocean has given it an important place and opportunity to maintain and increase French influence in the region. France still stays a significant economic and military force in the region and is likely to continue in future. Given the increasing involvement of countries such as China, India and Brazil in the Indian Ocean region, France may look to increase its own regional involvement as a way of staying relevant in Indian Ocean region in the coming years. Coinciding with its colonial policy and establishing sovereignty over the islands in southern Indian Ocean, France had established its presence on Antarctica since 19th century. French presence in Indian Ocean has a direct relationship with its research and other programmes on Antarctica. Research on French research station on Antarctica is bolstered by its scientific research on its islands of southern Indian Ocean. Thus, of all the European colonial powers who ruled the littoral and islands in Indian Ocean, France is the only ex-colonial European power who has an effective presence in this region. It has very thoughtfully and smartly interwoven its Indian

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Ocean presence with Antarctica and developed sufficient military presence to protect its strategic interests in the Indian Ocean. References
1. Baumgart, Winfried. Imperialism: The Idea and Reality of British and French Colonial Expansion, 18801914 (1982); Thomas, Martin. The French Empire Between the Wars: Imperialism, Politics and Society (2007) 1919-1939; Confer, Vincent (1964), "French Colonial Ideas before 1789", French Historical Studies 3 (3): 338359, 2. For the list of islands administered by France in the Indian Ocean, see,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_islands_administered_by_France_in_the_Indian_and_Pacific_oceans 3. See, Mozambique Channel, in the island encyclopedia at http://www.oceandots.com/indian/mozambiquechannel/ 4. 5. CIA-The World fact Book, available at https://www.cia.gov/library/publications See, France: National Involvement in the Indian Ocean Region, at

http://www.futuredirections.org.au/publications/indian-ocean/324-france-national-involvement-in-theindian-ocean-region.html 6. For bilateral relations between France and Djibouti, see, France Diplomatie, a website of government of France. 7. 8. For Indian Ocean Commission, see, Regional Integration in Africa, at, http://web.worldbank.org For Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) see,

http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/indian_ocean/regional_orgs/ior-arc.html; http://www.iorarc.org/members/dialogue-partners/france.aspx 9. For details see, Southwest Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission (SWIOFC), at,

http://www.fao.org/fishery/rfb/swiofc/en 10. See, Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) at, http://www.fao.org/fishery/rfb/iotc/en#OrgMapanchor 11. For details see, www.wiomsa.org

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