UK Court Signs Deal To Hand Chagos Islands To Mauritius

The British government is set to finalize an agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after a High Court judge removed a temporary injunction.

On Thursday morning, the court issued an injunction that delayed Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s planned virtual signing ceremony with Mauritian officials.

However, following a hearing later that day, Judge Martin Chamberlain lifted the injunction, paving the way for the United Kingdom to proceed with signing the multibillion-dollar agreement to relinquish sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

The UK government welcomed the ruling, saying “this deal is vital to protect the British people and our national security.”

The United Kingdom has agreed to transfer the Indian Ocean archipelago, which includes the strategically significant naval and bomber base on Diego Garcia, to Mauritius. The UK will then lease the base back for a minimum of 99 years.

The deal was scheduled to be formalized by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam during a virtual ceremony on Thursday morning.

However, a judge issued an injunction early Thursday, halting the agreement. This followed a claim by two
Chagossian women, representing the islands’ original inhabitants, who were displaced decades ago to accommodate the United States base.

Bernadette Dugasse and Bertrice Pompe, both British citizens, are concerned that returning to the islands will become even more challenging once Mauritius assumes control.

High Court judge Julian Goose had prohibited the UK government from taking any “conclusive or legally binding step to conclude its negotiations” to transfer the territory to a foreign government.

The United Kingdom, which has governed the region since 1814, detached the Chagos Islands from Mauritius in 1965 to establish the British Indian Ocean Territory.

In the early 1970s, approximately 1,500 residents were forcibly removed to Mauritius and Seychelles to clear the way for the Diego Garcia airbase on the largest island.

In October, the government revealed a draft agreement to cede the islands to Mauritius while securing a 99-year lease for the UK and the United States to continue operating the Diego Garcia base.

The administration of US President Donald Trump, which was consulted on the agreement, granted its approval. However, finalizing the deal was postponed due to a change in government in Mauritius and reported last-minute negotiations over costs.