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9h ago

UK Puts Chagos Handover on Hold After Loss of US Backing

The pause underscores Washington's veto power over British territorial deals tied to the Diego Garcia base.

Diego Garcia, one of the islands in the archipelago, hosts an important US military base.
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Supporters and members of the Chagos Islands hold placards and flags outside the Houses of Parliament in January to protest against the proposed deal.

Overview

  • Britain confirmed Saturday it has paused legislation to transfer the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, saying the bill ran out of time and is not expected in the next King’s Speech.
  • Downing Street said it will only move forward with formal U.S. approval after President Trump withdrew support and condemned the plan, and officials noted no required U.S. exchange of notes has arrived.
  • The May 2025 framework would return sovereignty to Mauritius while granting a 99-year lease that keeps U.S.-UK military operations running on Diego Garcia.
  • Mauritius signaled it will press on through diplomacy and the courts to regain the islands, raising the prospect of renewed legal and political pressure on London.
  • The dispute blends a 2019 world court opinion urging a handover, the forced removal of Chagossians decades ago, and the base’s central role in U.S. and UK missions from Iraq and Afghanistan to recent Iran strikes.