LONDON (AP) – Britain and Mauritius are in the process of finalizing an agreement for the transfer of sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, a territory of the U.K. that hosts a significant U.S. military base. The announcement came from the U.K. government on Tuesday.
According to Tom Wells, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the British government is actively working with the Mauritian administration to complete and sign the treaty. Once the agreement is signed, it will be submitted to both houses of Parliament for scrutiny and ratification. The deal reportedly has the backing of the Trump administration, which was consulted during the negotiations and indicated that no further action would be required from the U.S. side.
The discussions have revolved around the return of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius, which has long disputed Britain’s claim to the islands. The most notable of these islands, Diego Garcia, is strategically essential for U.S. military operations, hosting a naval and bomber base that the U.K. plans to lease back for a period of at least 99 years.
Despite the advancing negotiations, the proposed deal has faced backlash from the opposition Conservative Party and some allies of Trump. For instance, Senator Marco Rubio, who currently serves as Secretary of State, previously described the arrangement as posing "a serious threat" to U.S. national security interests. However, on a visit to Washington in February, Trump expressed optimism, suggesting that he felt the deal would "work out very well."
The historical context of the situation dates back to 1965 when Britain detached the Chagos Islands from Mauritius, just three years prior to the latter's independence. The U.K. designated the area as the British Indian Ocean Territory, and in the subsequent decades, the U.K. evicted around 2,000 islanders to facilitate the construction of the U.S. military base on Diego Garcia during the 1960s and 1970s.
Mauritius has consistently contested Britain's authority over the archipelago, and recent actions by the United Nations and its top court have urged the U.K. to return the Chagos Islands to their rightful status under Mauritian sovereignty. A draft deal was agreed upon back in October; however, advancements have been stalled due to a change in government within Mauritius and disagreements regarding the financial terms of the base lease.
The Chagos Islanders, many of whom have relocated to Britain, have expressed their concerns regarding the ongoing negotiations, stating that they were not consulted during the process. According to the draft agreement, a resettlement fund is supposed to be set up to assist displaced islanders in returning to their homeland, excluding Diego Garcia. However, the details concerning these measures remain vague and unspecified.
Adding to the community's tensions, two Chagossian women, Bernadette Dugasse and Bertrice Pompe, both British citizens, have declared their intention to take the U.K. government to court. They fear that once Mauritius assumes control over the islands, their chances of returning to their birthplace will diminish significantly.
