Mauritius has given the United Kingdom until the end of July to finalise a long-delayed agreement transferring sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago, after negotiations were paused amid objections from the United States.
The announcement follows renewed diplomatic talks in Port Louis between a British delegation and Mauritian officials, marking the first formal engagement since London suspended the deal earlier this year.
The proposed agreement would transfer sovereignty of the strategically located archipelago to Mauritius while allowing the continued operation of a major U.S.-UK military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the territory.
Speaking after the meeting, Mauritian Attorney General Gavin Glover said the government remains uncertain whether approval will be secured from Washington, a key factor in determining whether the agreement can proceed.
“We will give them until the end of July,” Glover said. “We will wait until then, and at that point, the Mauritian government will have to decide the way forward depending on what happens in the United Kingdom.”
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The deal has become entangled in broader geopolitical tensions involving the United States, the United Kingdom and strategic military interests in the Indian Ocean. The United States has reportedly raised objections to aspects of the agreement, complicating final approval.
The Chagos Archipelago, located roughly 500 kilometres south of the Maldives, consists of more than 60 islands and atolls. Its largest island, Diego Garcia, hosts a critical U.S.-UK military installation used for operations across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
The base has been central to multiple military campaigns in recent decades, including strikes against militant groups in Afghanistan and Yemen, as well as humanitarian and logistical operations. Its strategic location makes it one of the most important military assets in the Indian Ocean region.
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The dispute over the archipelago has deep historical roots. The United Kingdom removed the indigenous Chagossian population in the late 1960s and early 1970s to establish the military base, a move that has been widely criticised internationally and remains a point of contention in ongoing sovereignty negotiations.
Under a draft arrangement agreed last year, the UK would transfer sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius while continuing to pay annual compensation — reportedly around £101 million — to maintain access to the Diego Garcia base.
However, the deal has faced political and legal scrutiny, particularly after former and current U.S. officials raised concerns about its implications for security cooperation and operational control of the facility.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump has also publicly criticised the agreement, calling it a “big mistake,” adding further uncertainty to the diplomatic process.
Mauritius now says it expects clarity from London by the end of July, after which it will reassess its position depending on developments in the UK and the United States.
Analysts say the outcome could have wider implications for post-colonial territorial disputes and strategic competition in the Indian Ocean, where major powers continue to vie for influence over key maritime routes and military positions.
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For now, the future of the Chagos deal remains uncertain, with all sides facing pressure to balance legal, historical and strategic considerations in one of the most sensitive sovereignty disputes in the region.
Chagos Archipelago is a group of more than 60 islands located in the central Indian Ocean, about 500 km south of the Maldives. The territory has been at the centre of a long-running sovereignty dispute between Mauritius and the United Kingdom.
The dispute dates back to the colonial period. When Mauritius was still under British rule, the Chagos Islands were administratively separated in 1965 to form the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), shortly before Mauritius gained independence in 1968. This separation has since been widely contested by Mauritius, which argues it was done under colonial pressure and is therefore unlawful.
Between the late 1960s and early 1970s, the UK forcibly removed around 1,000–2,000 Chagossians from their homeland to make way for the construction of a major military facility on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago. Many were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles, and their displacement remains a deeply sensitive humanitarian and political issue.
The United States later established a major military base on Diego Garcia, operating under a long-standing agreement with the UK. The base has since become one of the most strategically important facilities in the Indian Ocean, supporting military operations in the Middle East, South Asia and parts of Africa.
Over the decades, Mauritius has consistently pursued legal and diplomatic efforts to regain sovereignty over the archipelago. In 2019, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion stating that the UK’s continued administration of the territory was unlawful and that it should be returned to Mauritius. The United Nations General Assembly subsequently backed this position in a resolution.
Despite this, the UK has maintained control of the territory, citing defence and security considerations linked to the U.S.-UK base on Diego Garcia.
Negotiations in recent years have explored a possible transfer of sovereignty to Mauritius while preserving the military base through a long-term lease or agreement. A draft arrangement reportedly included financial compensation and continued operational access for the UK and the United States.
However, the process has faced delays due to political changes and concerns from external actors, including the United States, which views Diego Garcia as a critical strategic asset. These concerns have complicated efforts to finalise a settlement.
The issue remains one of the most prominent unresolved colonial-era territorial disputes globally, involving legal rulings, strategic military interests, and the rights of displaced Chagossian communities.
The current negotiations, including Mauritius’ deadline for the UK to finalise a deal, reflect ongoing attempts to balance sovereignty claims with international security considerations and geopolitical realities in the Indian Ocean region.
