UK agrees to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius

The UK has agreed to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while preserving a critical military presence on Diego Garcia, the BBC reported on May 22nd.

Under the new treaty, Mauritius will assume full control of the archipelago but will lease Diego Garcia to the UK and US for 99 years, with an option to extend by 40 more years. The agreement establishes a 24-mile security buffer around the island. Furthermore, it grants the UK veto power over any foreign military or civilian activity across the archipelago.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer defended the treaty. He called it “absolutely vital for our defence and intelligence, and therefore, for the safety and security of the British people,” including the long-term viability of the Diego Garcia base, Al Jazeera reported on May 22nd. He warned that without a deal, legal risks could have compromised UK and US operations in the Indian Ocean and opened the door to rival powers, including China.

The UK agreed to pay Mauritius an annual sum of £101 million. The total cost is projected at £3.4 billion, but the value of future payments would lessen with inflation, The Guardian reported on May 22nd. The treaty emerged after the High Court dismissed a challenge by two Chagossian women born on Diego Garcia. The women opposed the deal and expressed distrust toward Mauritius’s treatment of Chagossians.

The Conservative opposition strongly criticised the agreement. Party leader Kemi Badenoch labelled it “an act of national self-harm,” the BBC reported on May 23rd. She cclaimed the UK had effectively paid to relinquish territory. Former security minister Tom Tugendhat warned the deal compromised operational independence. He said: “This isn’t just the surrender of the sovereignty of the base, but actually includes Mauritius in the operational use of the base.”

Some Chagossians celebrated the treaty as a long-overdue return of ancestral land. However, others condemned it for excluding their voices. Although the deal allows resettlement on outer islands, Diego Garcia remains off-limits.

The treaty awaits ratification in both UK and Mauritian parliaments. Once enacted, it will reshape Britain’s role in the Indian Ocean and could mark a major shift in post-colonial geopolitics.

BBC, Al Jazeera, The Guardian