Chagos Deal Finalized, UK Keeps Diego Garcia Base \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ Britain and Mauritius have signed a long-delayed agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, excluding Diego Garcia, which remains under UK control. The deal follows political and legal obstacles, including U.S. review under the Trump administration. Displaced Chagossians, excluded from talks, remain uncertain about the right to return.
Quick Looks
- Sovereignty Shift: Britain cedes Chagos Islands to Mauritius, retains Diego Garcia.
- Strategic Exception: Diego Garcia base remains key to U.S. military operations.
- U.S. Approval: Trump administration backed revised agreement after review.
- Financial Terms: UK to pay Mauritius £101M yearly to lease Diego Garcia.
- Displacement Legacy: Chagossians still barred from full return, resettlement uncertain.
- Legal Hurdles Lifted: Deal signed after court injunction was overturned.
- Global Pressure: UN and ICJ previously demanded end to British colonial rule.
- Mauritius Politics: Leadership change temporarily stalled negotiations on deal terms.
Deep Look
In a historic and contentious move, the governments of Britain and Mauritius have finalized a treaty transferring sovereignty of the Chagos Islands—a long-disputed Indian Ocean archipelago—after years of legal delays, political tension, and international criticism.
Under the agreement announced Thursday, Mauritius will assume control of the archipelago, but Britain will retain jurisdiction over Diego Garcia, the largest and most strategically significant island in the chain. Diego Garcia hosts a vital U.S. military base that has long been central to American defense operations in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa.
The deal closes one chapter in a decades-long diplomatic dispute, but opens another in terms of military control, Indigenous rights, and geopolitical balance.
Background: A Colonial Controversy
The Chagos Islands, comprising over 60 remote islets, have been under British control since 1814, following their cession by France. In 1965, Britain split the islands from Mauritius—then still a colony—and designated the territory the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). Mauritius gained independence in 1968, but Britain retained control of the Chagos Archipelago.
Between the late 1960s and 1970s, Britain forcibly removed around 2,000 Chagossians to clear the way for the development of a U.S. military installation on Diego Garcia. The base has since supported major U.S. operations from Vietnam to the war in Afghanistan and, more recently, housed nuclear-capable bombers amid the campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Critics have long pointed to the displacement of the Chagossians and Britain’s continued occupation as violations of international law. In 2019, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the United Nations General Assembly both called for the UK to end its “colonial administration” and return the islands to Mauritius.
Delayed by Politics and Legal Battles
Negotiations to transfer sovereignty began in 2022 under a previous Conservative-led UK government. By October 2023, a preliminary treaty had been reached, but Britain halted the deal, citing the need for U.S. presidential approval. Then-President Donald Trump was reviewing the revised arrangement, especially regarding continued access to Diego Garcia.
Political upheaval in Mauritius further complicated the process. A change in leadership saw new Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam walk back support for the original agreement, claiming the proposed £90 million annual payment from the UK to Mauritius for leasing Diego Garcia was a “sellout” of national interests.
The revised agreement, signed Thursday, increases the UK’s annual payment to £101 million ($136 million) and secures use of Diego Garcia for at least 99 years. The UK government confirmed the deal only after a British court lifted a legal injunction that had temporarily blocked its implementation.
The treaty must now be approved by the UK Parliament before full ratification.
Military Base Still a Flashpoint
While Mauritius will gain control of the archipelago, the Diego Garcia base remains under UK jurisdiction, leased to the United States for defense purposes. The Pentagon describes the base as “indispensable” for operations across three continents.
Though the deal was lauded by the Biden administration as a “historic agreement,” it has drawn criticism from UK Conservatives and some U.S. lawmakers. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, then a senator, warned last year that relinquishing control of the territory could pose a “serious national security risk.”
What It Means for Chagossians
For the 10,000 Chagossians and their descendants now living mostly in the UK, Mauritius, and the Seychelles, the announcement brings no clear path to return. Chagossian activists argue they were excluded from the negotiation process, despite being the community most directly affected by the deal.
Two Chagossian women, Bernadette Dugasse and Bertrice Pompe, challenged the deal in British courts, fearing that once Mauritius takes control, the door to returning will close permanently.
While the treaty includes a proposed resettlement fund to help displaced islanders return to parts of the archipelago (excluding Diego Garcia), specifics remain vague. Human Rights Watch has condemned Britain’s continued restrictions and past removals, calling them “crimes against humanity committed by a colonial power against an Indigenous people.”
“This is not justice,” said Pompe in a statement. “It’s a transaction between governments over land that was our home. We’re not part of the conversation, even though we are the ones who lost everything.”
A Historic Yet Incomplete Resolution
The Chagos Islands deal represents a diplomatic milestone, addressing international calls for decolonization and resolving a long-standing sovereignty dispute. Yet it also leaves crucial questions unanswered—especially for the Chagossian diaspora, whose displacement remains unresolved.
As Britain hands over most of the archipelago, it retains the heart of the matter: Diego Garcia, a symbol of both global power projection and colonial injustice. The next phase of this saga will likely focus on parliamentary approval, resettlement logistics, and the ongoing human rights claims that continue to define the islands’ legacy.
Chagos Deal Finalized Chagos Deal Finalized
You must Register or Login to post a comment.