Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam has called for an independent review of a confidential draft agreement between his government and the United Kingdom concerning the future of the Chagos Islands. The UK government expressed confidence that the deal, which secures the future of the U.S.-UK military base on Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, would be ratified.
The agreement, which was outlined in a political deal signed in October, aims to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while granting Britain a 99-year lease on the military base. Although the deal is still subject to ratification by both parties, Ramgoolam, who recently won elections, has voiced doubts and stressed that his new cabinet will carefully consider the findings of the review.
The UK’s foreign ministry has not commented on the request, but British Foreign Minister David Lammy expressed confidence earlier this week that the deal would be approved. He added that key U.S. institutions, including the intelligence agencies, State Department, and Pentagon, had all welcomed the agreement. Lammy also stated that Britain was willing to give the new government in Mauritius time to fully review the details.
U.S. President Joe Biden had supported the deal when it was first announced, but it may face challenges from the next U.S. administration, particularly after Donald Trump’s return to office in January. Trump’s pick for Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has expressed concerns, arguing that the deal poses a significant security risk by ceding control of the strategically important base to a country aligned with China.
When Mauritius gained independence in the 1960s, the UK retained control over the Chagos Islands, forcibly displacing up to 2,000 people in the 1970s to make way for the military base. Although Britain agreed last month to hand over the islands following years of negotiations, many exiled Chagossians feel they were excluded from the discussions and cannot support the agreement.
Olivier Bancoult, leader of the Chagos Refugees Group, which advocates for the rights of the Chagossian people, expressed hope that the independent review would be carried out swiftly.
