New Mauritian Prime Minister Submits Revised Chagos Islands Proposals to UK

Mauritius has announced the submission of modifications to a draft agreement concerning the Chagos Islands’ future. The nation’s recently appointed Prime Minister stated that the initial accord was insufficiently advantageous for his country. The initial pact, revealed in October, stipulated that the United Kingdom would transfer sovereignty of the archipelago to Mauritius while retaining a 99-year lease on Diego Garcia, which hosts a significant UK-US military airbase. This agreement was concluded just prior to an election where then-Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth suffered a substantial defeat. His successor, Navin Ramgoolam, has subsequently expressed concerns regarding the arrangement, which has also drawn disapproval from the UK’s opposition Conservative party and figures within the forthcoming Trump administration. Upon its initial public disclosure following years of negotiations, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Jugnauth described the agreement as “seminal moment in our relationship and a demonstration of our enduring commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes and the rule of law”. The British government has also stated that it “protects the long term secure operation of [the military] base”. Nevertheless, shortly after assuming office last month, Ramgoolam requested legal professionals to scrutinize the agreement’s conditions. Addressing the Mauritian parliament on Tuesday, Ramgoolam announced that his administration had presented alternative proposals designed to guarantee that the ultimate accord would serve the nation’s interests. Ramgoolam informed MPs, “During the discussions, Mauritius made clear that while it is still willing to conclude an agreement with the United Kingdom, the draft agreement which was shown to us after the general elections is one which, in our view, would not produce the benefits that the nation could expect from such an agreement.” He refrained from detailing the specifics of the counter-proposals or the precise character of the objections. Ramgoolam verified that the United Kingdom’s reply to these suggestions was received on Monday and is presently being examined. A group of high-ranking officials from the UK, headed by Harriet Mathews, who serves as director general for Africa, the Americas, and Overseas Territories at the Foreign Office, traveled to Mauritius last week. Joined by British High Commissioner Charlotte Pierre, she held a meeting with Ramgoolam on 11 December to advance the discussions. Sir Keir’s spokesperson stated, “We remain confident the agreement is in both sides interests and will continue to work with the new Mauritius government to finalise the deal. We’ve always said we’ll engage with the new administration in order to finalise the deal,” further noting that no specific timeframe exists for the agreement. The sole indication of potential concerns from the Mauritian perspective comes from remarks made last month by Arvin Boolell, the minister of agro-industry and fisheries. He criticized the previous prime minister for granting the UK an extended lease on Diego Garcia, claiming it was for 200 years, despite the publicly announced duration being an initial 99-year period. Boolell commented to a newspaper, “In other words,” “the tenant has become the owner of Diego Garcia for 200 years.” Concurrently in the UK, the opposition Conservative party declared on Tuesday that the conditions of the proposed arrangement were “disadvantageous to the United Kingdom”. In correspondence addressed to Sir Keir, the shadow defence and foreign secretaries conveyed “grave concerns about your Government’s plan to surrender sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory – and to pay for the privilege of doing so”. James Cartlidge and Priti Patel stated, “Our view remains that the legal justification you have used for giving away sovereignty is flawed, and it is therefore no surprise that the terms reached are so disadvantageous to the United Kingdom.” Over recent years, the UK has encountered increasing diplomatic isolation concerning its assertion of control over what it designates as the British Indian Ocean Territory. Numerous United Nations entities, including its highest court and general assembly, have largely supported Mauritius, urging the UK to relinquish what some have termed its “last colony in Africa”. The Mauritian government has consistently contended that it was unlawfully compelled to cede the Chagos Islands in exchange for its independence from the UK in 1968. Concurrently, the British government had already brokered a confidential agreement with the US, consenting to lease the largest atoll, Diego Garcia, for deployment as a military installation. Britain subsequently issued an apology for the forceful relocation of over 1,000 islanders from the whole archipelago and pledged to transfer the islands to Mauritius once they ceased to be required for strategic objectives. Up until a very recent period, the UK maintained that Mauritius possessed no rightful claim to the islands.