Madgascar's President in Paris to discuss disputed Indian Ocean islets

Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina arrived in Paris on Monday for discussions with  French President Emmanuel Macron on the future of the long-disputed Scattered Islands.

The five tiny islets with a total area of just 43 square kilometres in the Indian Ocean were part of Madagascar when it was a French colony.

They were split off when the island nation gained independence in 1960 and Madagascar wants them back.

France, however, is determined to maintain ownership of the uninhabited but strategic islands which are protected ecological sanctuaries.

Not only because of their ecological and symbolic importance, but also because of the control they offer over vast maritime zones rich in resources.

These tiny islands grant France jurisdiction over a staggering 640,000 km² of marine space -- roughly six per cent of its total maritime domain – full of fish and possible gas reserves.

The trouble is that for Madagascar, they carry symbolic weight and  it has long contested their detachment.

United Nations votes in 1979 and 1980 agreed that the islets should be reintegrated into Madagascar.