Overview
- Britain said Saturday it has paused the plan to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after President Trump reversed support and criticized the deal.
- Officials say the legislation has run out of time in the current Parliament and is not expected in next month’s King’s Speech, and a required US exchange of notes has not been secured.
- The agreement would return sovereignty to Mauritius while keeping the Diego Garcia military base under a 99-year lease to preserve US operations.
- Diego Garcia is a key logistics hub that lets UK and US forces reach the Middle East, East Africa, and South Asia from a single, remote site.
- The UK says it will keep talking to Washington and Port Louis, while Mauritius plans diplomatic and legal steps informed by a 2019 World Court opinion and the legacy of Chagossian expulsions.