The United States is considering a proposal to purchase the Chagos Islands from Mauritius, according to a report published on Sunday, as debate continues over the future of the strategically important archipelago that hosts a major joint US-UK military base.
The proposal, first reported by Britain’s Telegraph newspaper, is among several options being examined by the administration of Donald Trump to prevent the transfer of sovereignty over the islands from the United Kingdom to Mauritius.
Under the reported plan, US officials would seek a direct agreement with Mauritius to secure control of Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago and home to a key US-British military installation.
The White House has not publicly confirmed the proposal. However, a US official told Reuters that Trump remained opposed to Britain’s plans to hand over sovereignty of the territory.
“President Trump has been consistent in his position that the United Kingdom should not give away the British Indian Ocean Territory, which includes our joint US-UK military facility on the Diego Garcia atoll,” the official said.
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The official described Diego Garcia as a vital military asset whose location in the Indian Ocean makes it indispensable to US national security interests.
The base has long been regarded as one of Washington’s most important overseas military facilities, providing logistical support and strategic reach across the Middle East, East Africa and Asia. It has been used in military operations ranging from conflicts in the Gulf to missions in Afghanistan.
The future of the archipelago has become a contentious issue following efforts by Britain to resolve a long-running sovereignty dispute with Mauritius. The Indian Ocean territory was separated from Mauritius before the latter gained independence in 1968, a move that Mauritius has consistently challenged.
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In recent years, international legal bodies, including the International Court of Justice, have backed Mauritius’s claim to the islands, increasing pressure on Britain to relinquish control.
The British government had been negotiating an agreement that would transfer sovereignty to Mauritius while preserving long-term military access to Diego Garcia for the United States and Britain.
However, London paused the deal in April amid growing political opposition and concerns raised by the Trump administration.
Trump had previously criticised the proposed arrangement, describing it in February as a “big mistake”.
A spokesperson for the British government defended ongoing efforts to secure the future of the base, arguing that the agreement with Mauritius was designed to protect long-term British and American security interests.
“The government inherited a situation where UK control over the military base on Diego Garcia was under threat and action was required to protect UK national interests and to prevent our adversaries from getting a foothold in a location of such strategic importance,” the spokesperson said.
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The spokesperson added that Diego Garcia had protected shared US and British security interests for nearly six decades and remained a critical strategic asset.
Supporters of the sovereignty transfer argue that Britain must comply with international rulings and complete the decolonisation process. Critics, however, fear that any change in sovereignty could create uncertainty over the future of the military facility at a time of heightened geopolitical competition in the Indian Ocean.
The islands are also at the centre of a decades-long campaign by displaced Chagossians seeking the right to return to their homeland after many residents were removed during the construction of the military base in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
While no decision has been announced, the reported US proposal underscores the strategic significance of the Chagos Islands and the growing international interest in the future of one of the world’s most important military outposts.
