Mauritius Seeks to Reopen Chagos Islands Deal Negotiations with UK
London had announced its agreement to hand over the Indian Ocean Archipelago in October, but the new government in Port Louis, Mauritius, wishes to modify the terms.
On Dec. 18, the UK stated that it still intends to transfer the Chagos Islands, which house a strategically vital military base, to Mauritius, despite the new leader of the Indian Ocean country backing out of the previous government’s agreement.
In October, the two countries had announced a plan to transfer sovereignty of the chain of over 60 islands just south of the equator.
According to the plan, the British–U.S. naval and bomber base on the largest island, Diego Garcia, would remain under UK control for at least 99 years.
However, with the UK’s Labour Party finalizing details of a treaty with the Mauritian government two months ago, Mauritian voters ousted the government that had made the deal.
Now, new Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam wants to reopen negotiations as he believes the initial draft deal “would not produce the benefits that the nation could expect from such an agreement.”
Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty expressed confidence that the deal would be completed, acknowledging the new Mauritian government’s need to study the details.
The Conservative Party criticized the deal, accusing the Labour government of surrendering British territory, despite negotiations over sovereignty being initiated under their watch in 2022.
Last month, a group of British lords announced their intention to force a referendum of Chagossians over the handover of the islands.
Mauritius, located east of Madagascar in southern Africa, is approximately 1,250 miles southwest of the disputed archipelago.
The Chagos Islands have been under British control since 1814, and the Diego Garcia base has supported various U.S. military operations over the years.
Washington has described the base as “an all but indispensable platform” for security operations in the Middle East, South Asia, and East Africa.
Mauritius became independent in 1968 but has always claimed it was pressured to give up the Chagos Islands in exchange for independence from the British Empire.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
