Gan to Foalhavahi: The 1976 Strategic Handover – RAF Stages Final Departure from Addu Atoll, Gains Access to Diego Garcia 200 Miles South .

War memorial at the former RAF and Naval Base in Gan, Addu Atoll, Maldives, featuring historical artillery pieces and a commemorative monument amidst lush greenery.

The relocation of Royal Air Force (RAF) operations from Gan Island in the Maldives to Diego Garcia (known as Foalhavahi in Dhivehi) in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) in 1976 marked a significant shift in Britain's post-imperial military strategy in the Indian Ocean.

Chapel used by the Royal Air Force on Gan Island, Addu Atoll, featuring a welcoming entrance and lush surroundings. "Photo courtesy of blogger Fish

Background and Establishment of RAF Gan

RAF Gan, on Addu Atoll, emerged as a critical RAF staging post in the late 1950s, supporting long-range flights and serving as a refueling point after Britain's withdrawal from Aden. It maintained a limited military presence without colonial obligations.

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Origins of the Lease (1956–1957): In 1956, Britain secretly negotiated a 100-year lease of Gan Island with Prime Minister Amir Ibrahim Faamuladeyri Kilegefaanu, bypassing the Maldivian Cabinet and Parliament. Ibrahim Nasir, who became Prime Minister in 1957, opposed the lease's terms and sought renegotiation.

The 1960 Agreement: Amid the "Suvadive" separatist crisis, a new agreement in 1960 shortened the lease to 30 years for Gan and Hithadhoo, with a £850,000 grant from Britain. The Maldives agreed to restrict third-country military facilities and required British approval for foreign vessels and aircraft.

French Maldives The Origins and Establishment of Diego Garcia Coconut Plantation

In 1753, Dhon Bandaara dispatched Minister Ali Maafaiy Manikfan to seek military aid from Joseph-François Dupleix, the French Governor-General of India in Pondicherry, to repel the Ali Raja and prevent future invasions.

French Activities in the Maldives: Origins and Establishment of the Diego Garcia Coconut Plantation and the French Presence in the Maldivian Atoll Foalhavahi Chagos

1759-1766: Dhon Bandaara

Assumed the throne in absentia of Dhiyamigil

• Sultan al-Ghazi Hasan 'Izz ud-din

French Military Assistance to the Maldives (1753): During Sultan Mohamed Imaduddine III's reign, Maldivian authorities sought assistance from Joseph-François Dupleix, the French Governor of India. A French squadron led by Monsieur Le Termellier was sent to Malé to combat the Ali Raja of Cannanore.

Temporary Base: This alliance allowed the French to establish a temporary base at the Naaney Buruzu bastion in Malé.

1768: French Vessels L'Heure du Berger and Vert Galant Visit Foalhavahi / Diego Garcia

1769–1770: The French initiated a hydrographic survey of Diego Garcia's lagoon, surrounding reefs, and entrance channel.

1773–1774:

The uncle of Sultan Dhonbandaara, Sultan Muhammad Shams al-Din Iskandar II, took the throne (without coronation) for less than a year in 1774, after seizing it from the Dhiyamigili Dynasty.

1774-1779:

Kalhu Bandaara, son of Dhonbandaara

Sultan Muhammad Mu'iz ud-din Iskandar

In 1778, the collection of coconuts and the establishment of a copra plantation began in Diego Garcia.

Nautical chart highlighting the channels around the Maldives, including the Eight Degree and One and Half Degree Channels, with strategic routes such as Mozambique Channel to Malacca Strait and Cape of Good Hope to Malacca Strait, alongside Exclusive Economic Zones.

Maldivian oral history and references show that Maldivian government coconut plant survey teams traveled to the Chagos atolls and beros benhos to mark and stamp Bandaara Ruhkugai Thahjehun until the early 1900s. Maldives' most southern atolls, from Huvadhoo to Fuwahmulah and Addu, are much closer than its capital, Malé, to beros benhos atoll.

Diego Garcia and the BIOT

The British acquired Diego Garcia and the surrounding Chagos Archipelago through the 1814 Treaty of Paris, which was signed following the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte. This treaty formalised the transfer of several French colonial possessions in the Indian Ocean, including Mauritius (then known as Île de France) and its dependencies, of which the Chagos Archipelago was one, to British control

The British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) was established on 8 November 1965 by a British Order in Council. It was formed to provide defense facilities for the UK and USA in the Indian Ocean, initially combining the Chagos Archipelago

• Maldives Independence Agreement: The Maldives had been a British protectorate for 78 years, following a formal agreement signed on December 16, 1887.

• Terms of Separation: The 1965 agreement restored full sovereignty over defense and external affairs, although the British retained the use of the military airbase on Gan Island in Addu Atoll until 1976.

• Political Shift: Following independence, the country remained a sultanate for three more years until it transitioned into a republic on November 11, 1968.

RAF Gan handover ceremony 29 March 1976: Koli Ali Maniku receives Gan from Group Captain W. Edwards of the Royal Air Force, with the British Ambassador to the Maldives present. March 29 was celebrated as Maldives Independence Day for two years before reverting to July 26. Mr. Kakaagey Ali Didi, visible above the Group Captain's forearm, was appointed in charge of Gan and later became my father-in-law.

A British Royal Air force cyclist casually pedals past a stationary aircraft on the runway at RAF Gan, Addu Atoll, Maldives, under a bright, clear sky.

As RAF Gan in the Maldives closed on April 1, 1976, the British Royal AirForce shifted its strategic staging post to a newly constructed airfield 200 miles south on Diego Garcia. Construction of the Naval Support Facility on Diego Garcia took place between 1971 and 1976. RAF operations transitioned from Gan to the new facility in the BIOT.