Britain Announces Suspension of Chagos Islands Transfer Plan to Mauritius Due to Lack of US "Support"
Downing Street, the UK Prime Minister's office, said on Saturday that it would suspend its plan to transfer the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean to Mauritius, as it had not received "support" from the US President. The main island of the archipelago, Diego Garcia, hosts a joint US-UK military base.
The spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Starmer announced on Saturday that the suspension of the plan to transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius was due to the lack of "support" from the US President. However, they emphasized that London still believes this transfer remains the best way to secure the long-term future of the US-UK military base at Diego Garcia. They added, "We have consistently stressed that we will only proceed with this plan if it receives US support." The spokesperson also noted that discussions with the United States are ongoing.
In February this year, President Trump denounced the UK Labour government’s decision to relinquish control of this strategically significant archipelago as a "stupid move."
On May 22, 2025, the UK signed an agreement with Mauritius transferring sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, while retaining operational rights for the US-UK military base on a 99-year lease.
The transfer agreement was originally scheduled to take effect by the end of 2025, but in early 2026, the UK House of Lords passed a "motion of opposition" by a decisive majority, sending the Chagos Islands cession bill back to the House of Commons for re-debate and re-vote.
The Diego Garcia base has played a crucial strategic role for the UK-US alliance during the Cold War and was instrumental in both US-led Iraq wars (1990–1991 and 2003–2011) and the 2001 US bombing campaign against Afghanistan.
Source: rfi
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1862178723471367/
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