France, April 23 -- French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Madagascar for a regional summit has brought fresh attention to a long-running dispute over the Îles Eparses - a group of tiny islands in the Mozambique Channel claimed by both France and Madagascar. Despite years of talks, the issue remains unresolved-part of the unfinished business of decolonisation.

France controls the second-largest maritime area in the world, spread over 10 million square kilometres. About 27 percent of this is in the Indian Ocean.

The Îles Eparses (Scattered Islands) - Tromelin, Glorieuses, Juan de Nova, Europa and Bassas da India - are littered across the Mozambique Channel between Madagascar and the African coast. Most are uninhabited, apa...