Britain Pauses Plan to Transfer Chagos Islands to Mauritius Amid US Concerns

The UK has put on hold an agreement to give the Chagos Islands back to the country of Mauritius, citing U.S. opposition to the deal.

Diego Garcia is the Chagos’s largest island and home to a UK military base. The deal would transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and allow the UK to maintain control of the base.

The UK stalled the deal after Trump criticized it in a Feb. 18 post on Truth Social, stating that the United States needs Diego Garcia for military purposes and that it had an airfield that may be valuable to the United States for its operation in Iran.

A British government ​spokesperson said ensuring the long-term operational security of Diego Garcia was a priority.

“We continue to believe the agreement is the best way to ​protect the long-term future of the base, but we have always said we would only proceed with the deal if it has U.S. support,” the spokesperson said. “We are continuing to engage with the U.S. and Mauritius.”

In 2019, the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands, the judicial arm of the United Nations, ruled that the UK didn’t properly handle the independence of the country of Mauritius. The UK removed the Chagos Islands from Mauritius and kept control of them while granting Mauritius independence. The International Court of Justice stated that the UK should give up control of the island as soon as possible and that other countries in the U.N. should support that.

Trump disputed that in his post.

“Our relationship with the United Kingdom is a strong and powerful one, and it has been for many years, but Prime Minister [Keir] Starmer is losing control of this important Island by claims of entities never known of before,” Trump wrote. “In our opinion, they are fictitious in nature.

“This land should not be taken away from the U.K. and, if it is allowed to be, it will be a blight on our Great Ally. We will always be ready, willing, and able to fight for the U.K., but they have to remain strong in the face of Wokeism, and other problems put before them. DO NOT GIVE AWAY DIEGO GARCIA!”

Mauritius was granted independence from the UK in 1968, but only after the separation of the Chagos Islands from the country.

The UK and Mauritius announced a deal had been made between the two countries on Oct. 3, 2024.