Mauritius Gains Resettlement Rights in New Agreement, Sparking Controversy

The new agreement said that Mauritius would be free to implement a program of resettlement on islands other than Diego Garcia, with the terms left for Port Louis to decide.

“We were guided by our conviction to complete the decolonization of our republic,” Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said in a televised speech.

Critics in Britain said it was a capitulation that played into the hands of China, which has close trade ties with Mauritius, while one group representing displaced Chagos Islanders expressed anger they had been shut out of talks.

British Foreign Minister David Lammy said the deal settled the contested sovereignty of the islands, the last British overseas territory in Africa, while ongoing legal challenges had imperiled the long-term future of Diego Garcia.

He said the base, whose strategic significance was demonstrated during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts where it acted as a launch pad for long-range bombers, was now guaranteed for at least 99 years. “Today’s agreement … will strengthen our role in safeguarding global security,” Lammy said.

US President Joe Biden welcomed the deal, saying it would secure the effective operation of Diego Garcia, a strategically important airbase in the Indian Ocean, into the next century. He echoed Lammy’s sentiment, saying Diego Garcia played “a vital role in national, regional, and global security”.

“It enables the United States to support operations that demonstrate our shared commitment to regional stability, provide rapid response to crises, and counter some of the most challenging security threats we face,” he said.