Analysis of public statements and media reports

UK to Transfer Sovereignty of Chagos Islands to Mauritius in Historic Deal Under Keir Starmer

Oct 3, 2024, 10:27 AM

The UK has announced it will hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after more than 50 years of British rule. This historic agreement, reached after years of negotiations, will see Mauritius assume sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, a strategically important cluster of islands in the Indian Ocean. The deal allows the UK to retain use of the US-UK military base on Diego Garcia. The agreement, led by the Labour government under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has been met with mixed reactions, with some praising it as a correction of historical wrongs and others criticizing it as a betrayal of regional security and self-determination.