After a number of years of stop-start negotiations involving each Conservative and Labour governments within the UK, compounded by uncertainty following Donald Trump’s election as US President, and a last-minute authorized problem, an settlement was signed on 22 Might 2025 to cede—or return—sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius. In flip, Mauritius agreed to grant the UK and US continued, unrestricted navy entry to Diego Garcia. Whereas the settlement isn’t with out its critics, notably amongst right-wing politicians, commentators, and media, it represents a major achievement for diplomacy, the rule of regulation, and the broad-er strategy of decolonisation.
Formally titled CS Mauritius No.1/2025, the settlement units out a 99-year framework—extendable by an additional 40 years, with the UK committing to pay Mauritius about £101 million yearly (at current costs). With UK recognition of Mauritian sovereignty, Mauritius has granted the UK and US the best to keep up and function the prevailing navy base, conduct workout routines, and perform defence and safety operations. The settlement additionally supplies for unrestricted over-flight rights, permitting UK and US navy plane to cross the archipelago with out prior notification, and grants full navigation and undersea transit rights to vessels and submarines from each nations.
The settlement additionally contains safeguards to forestall hostile actors from gaining a foothold within the area. A 24-nautical-mile buffer zone shall be established across the island, inside which no building or installations can happen with out the UK’s approval. As well as, any exercise on the broader Chagos islands should undergo a joint decision-making course of, which means no improvement can proceed with out the settlement of each the UK and Mauritius. There may be additionally a ban on the presence of overseas safety forces, whether or not navy or civilian, on the outer islands.
Past the navy features of the settlement, the treaty permits Mauritius to implement a resettlement programme on islands apart from Diego Garcia, topic to environmental and safety situations. It additionally commits each events to preserving the archipelago’s marine biodiversity, through the prevailing Marine Protected Space. As well as, the settlement contains provisions to help the Chagossian neighborhood—estimated at over 3,000 individuals—by means of resettlement help and cultural initiatives. The UK will contribute £40 million to a Chagossian belief fund and supply £45 million yearly for 25 years to help improvement initiatives in Mauritius. Total, the settlement is framed as a full and remaining settlement of all disputes, with mechanisms for peaceable decision and long-term bilateral cooperation.
On asserting the settlement, the Labour Authorities reiterated its long-held place that there was no different. A press launch acknowledged, “With out this deal, worldwide authorized proceedings might have rendered the bottom inoperable”. The federal government was particularly involved concerning the 2021 ruling by the Particular Chamber of the Worldwide Tribunal for the Regulation of the Sea and a possible follow-up judgement, which might have broken the UK’s capability to function in and across the archipelago. The federal government argued that Diego Garcia’s satellite tv for pc communications could be compromised, because the UK depends on UN authority to entry a selected phase of the electromagnetic spectrum. It additionally claimed that contractors may refuse to journey to the bottom—for upkeep or provides—as a consequence of fears of authorized motion from Mauritius. Moreover, the UK’s capability to function plane to and from the island might face challenges below worldwide aviation guidelines. With out an settlement, there have been additionally fears that it will be simpler for overseas powers to ascertain a presence within the islands.
The response to the settlement was unsurprisingly combined, however crucially members of the Trump administration had been supportive. Secretary of State Marco Rubio mentioned, “following a complete … evaluate, the Trump Administration decided that this settlement secures the long-term, secure, and efficient operation of the joint US-UK navy facility at Diego Garcia”, whereas Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth famous, “The UK’s cope with Mauritius secures the operational capabilities of the bottom and key US nationwide safety pursuits within the area. We’re assured the bottom is protected for a few years forward”. The UK Authorities denied the US might have vetoed the deal, however with out such help, the settlement would have been tougher to safe and de-fend.
The place of the Trump administration meant that right-wing opponents to the deal within the UK had been slightly hoist by their very own petard, as they’d claimed that the US would in the end converse out towards the deal. However, within the Home of Commons debate that adopted the signing of the treaty and within the ensuing press protection, the language was sharply towards. For instance, the Shadow Defence Minister, James Cartlidge, argued that the settlement was “a complete, abject give up of our territory and a basic betrayal of the UK’s nationwide curiosity” and “a whole and utter negotiating failure”. And Richard Tice of Reform acknowledged, it was “the worst ever deal in historical past by this nation”. These sentiments had been mirrored in components of the press. For example, The Occasions, on its main articles web page, known as the settlement “a attorneys’ stich up, a shameful sell-out”, whereas an editorial in The Every day Telegraph declared, “Starmer’s Chagos give up is a nationwide shame”. It’s definitely true that components of the settlement are stronger than others and there’s a crystal ball factor to how a number of the practicalities will work out longer-term, however the language utilized by many on the best has not completed justice to this nuanced problem.
There are a number of extra measured vital voices, akin to John Rentoul within the Impartial, however he downplays Mauritius’ reliable and more and more supported territorial declare. And that is the important thing problem—the method of decolonisation wanted to be accomplished as I detailed in a earlier article. As Navin Ramgoolam, prime minister of Mauritius mentioned, “Now we have gained recognition of our sovereignty over your entire archipelago of Chagos, together with Diego Garcia, which completes the method of decolonisation which started in 1968”. However, essential and sustained help is required for the Chagossians each within the UK and Mauritius, together with by means of the opportunity of re-settlement, however regardless of how unfair it may appear any deal needed to be made between the sovereign states. But, some Chagossians are supporting it—Olivier Bancoult, chief of the Chagos Refugees Group, mentioned it was “an historic day”, and that “[our children] will lastly be capable of stroll the land of their ancestors”.
For a few years, the Chagos Archipelago, also referred to as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), has been certainly one of 14 British Abroad Territories (OTs). Nonetheless, for the primary time since Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997, that quantity shall be decreased to 13—a major change. As I’ve argued beforehand, nonetheless, the switch of sovereignty over Chagos is unlikely to set off the lack of different OTs, until their populations actively search such a change. And to bolster that message, the Falkland Islands, launched a public assertion noting that “Our state of affairs is exclusive to the Falklands and is solely separate to the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands”.
Though the settlement has not but been permitted by Parliament, essentially the most difficult features of the negotiations have been accomplished. It addresses a longstanding problem that has affected the UK’s worldwide repute; it contributes—although not totally—to strengthening the place of the Chagossians within the UK, Mauritius, and the archipelago; it secures a strategically essential navy asset; and it exhibits {that a} stable diplomatic argument can achieve traction within the Trump White Home. Nonetheless, a lot of the political and media commentary on the difficulty has been reductive and dispiriting and illustrates the more and more polarised and detrimental nature of public discourse within the UK.
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