The future of the Chagos Islands, a strategically important archipelago in the Indian Ocean, has been thrown into uncertainty as Mauritius’ newly elected Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam calls for an independent review of the confidential agreement reached with the United Kingdom. The move comes just months after the UK announced a deal to cede sovereignty over the islands to Mauritius, securing the long-term future of the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago.
According to parliamentary records, Prime Minister Ramgoolam, who took office earlier this month, expressed reservations about the deal during a session on Friday. “I wish to inform the House that I have asked for an independent review of the confidential draft agreement agreed so far,” he stated, emphasizing that the contents of the negotiations between Mauritius and the UK over the past two years were unknown to his new government.
A Contentious History
The Chagos Islands have been a point of contention between Mauritius and the UK for decades. The archipelago was separated from Mauritius in 1965, prior to the island nation’s independence, and has since been administered by the UK as the British Indian Ocean Territory. The UK leased the largest island, Diego Garcia, to the United States, which established a major military base there.
Mauritius has long claimed sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, arguing that the archipelago was illegally detached from its territory. In 2019, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion stating that the UK’s separation of the islands was unlawful and that the UK should end its administration of the archipelago “as rapidly as possible.” The United Nations General Assembly subsequently adopted a resolution demanding that the UK withdraw from the Chagos Islands within six months, a deadline that the UK did not meet.
The Sovereignty Agreement
Earlier this year, the UK announced that it had reached an agreement with the Mauritian government to cede sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. Under the terms of the deal, the UK would transfer sovereignty to Mauritius once arrangements for the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia were made. The military presence on the island is expected to continue for 99 years, with an option to renew, and the UK would pay Mauritius an annual sum of money.
The agreement was hailed by some as a resolution to the long-standing dispute, while critics argued that it did not adequately address the rights of the Chagossian people, who were forcibly removed from the islands between 1967 and 1973 to make way for the military base. Many Chagossians have been fighting for the right to return to their homeland.
Ramgoolam’s Reservations and International Reactions
Prime Minister Ramgoolam, who previously served as Mauritius’ prime minister from 1995 to 2000 and from 2005 to 2014, had been critical of the Chagos Islands agreement prior to his re-election. Following a meeting with the UK’s national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, on Monday, Ramgoolam reportedly expressed continued reservations about the deal.
The UK Labour Party leader, Keir Starmer, defended the agreement as a “good deal” that secures the vital interests of the US and the UK. Starmer stated that his government is already engaging with the new Mauritian administration to discuss how to move forward with the agreement.
However, the deal has also faced criticism from the incoming administration of US President-elect Donald Trump. Marco Rubio, Trump’s pick for Secretary of State, warned in October that the agreement posed “a serious threat” to US national security by handing over the islands to a country allied with China.
An Uncertain Future
The call for an independent review of the Chagos Islands agreement by Prime Minister Ramgoolam has once again brought the archipelago’s future into the spotlight. The strategic importance of the islands, particularly the US military base on Diego Garcia, means that any changes to the agreement could have significant geopolitical implications.
As Mauritius and the UK navigate this new development, the rights and aspirations of the Chagossian people, who have been displaced from their homeland for over half a century, remain a crucial consideration. The outcome of the independent review and subsequent negotiations will not only shape the future of the Chagos Islands but also the lives of those who once called the archipelago home.
The international community will be closely watching as events unfold, with the hope that a resolution can be reached that balances the strategic interests of the UK and the US with the sovereignty claims of Mauritius and the fundamental rights of the Chagossian people. The path ahead may be uncertain, but the renewed attention on the Chagos Islands presents an opportunity for all parties involved to work towards a just and equitable solution to this long-standing dispute.
