uk-to-handover-chagos-islands-to-mauritius

Britain has signed a landmark agreement to transfer sovereignty over the disputed Chagos Islands to Mauritius, in a deal that London says secures the long-term future of a strategic U.S.-U.K. military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the Indian Ocean archipelago.

 

Under the deal, the United Kingdom will pay Mauritius an average of £101 million annually to lease back the base for at least 99 years. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the facility, operated by U.S. forces, as “crucial to counterterrorism and intelligence operations” and central to Britain's national security.

 

“By agreeing to this deal on our terms, we’re securing strong protections, including against malign influence, which will allow the base to function well into the next century,” Starmer said Thursday at a military headquarters near London.

 

The agreement has drawn criticism from some British lawmakers and Chagossian campaigners. Conservative defence spokesman James Cartlidge called it a “total, abject surrender of our territory and a fundamental betrayal of the U.K. national interest.”

 

The signing was briefly delayed after a High Court judge granted an injunction at the request of two displaced Chagossians, Bernadette Dugasse and Bertrice Pompe, who feared the handover would jeopardise their efforts to return to their ancestral homeland. A second judge later lifted the injunction.

 

Mauritius has long claimed the islands, which were separated from its territory by Britain in the 1960s. The original inhabitants were forcibly removed to make way for the military installation. Their legal efforts to return have so far been unsuccessful.

 

India welcomed the development, calling it a “milestone achievement” in line with its consistent support for Mauritius’s claim. “This marks the culmination of the process of decolonisation of Mauritius in the spirit of international law and a rules-based order,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

 

India said it remains committed to working with Mauritius and other regional partners to promote maritime security, regional stability, and prosperity in the Indian Ocean.

 

The agreement, while yet to be ratified by Parliament, underscores a major shift in Britain’s colonial-era legacy and reflects growing international calls for the resolution of such territorial disputes.