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Starmer, Keir

UK Transfers Sovereignty of Chagos Islands to Mauritius, Including Diego Garcia Military Base

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday signed a deal transferring sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, including the key Diego Garcia military base. The base, which plays a central role in UK-US defence operations in the Indian Ocean, will now be leased from Mauritius under a new 99-year lease. The deal is expected to cost the UK an average of £101 million ($129m) per year, amounting to a total of £3.4 billion ($4.35 billion) over the course of the lease.

Key Takeaways:

  • The UK will transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, including the Diego Garcia military base, to Mauritius under a new 99-year lease.
  • The UK will pay Mauritius an average of £101 million ($129m) per year, amounting to a total of £3.4 billion ($4.35 billion) over the course of the lease.
  • The UK government has defended the deal, saying it is "the right thing to protect the British people and the country's national security."
  • US President Donald Trump has publicly welcomed the deal, which was also backed by his predecessor, Joe Biden.
  • A group of British nationals born on Diego Garcia had challenged the deal in court, arguing that the Chagossian community had been sidelined in the negotiations and not consulted on a deal that directly affects their ancestral homeland.
  • Critics have warned that the deal could be a strategic mistake, suggesting it hands diplomatic leverage to China, which maintains strong trade ties with Mauritius.

Statistics:

  • The UK will pay an average of £101 million ($129m) per year for the 99-year lease of the Diego Garcia military base.
  • The total cost of the lease will be £3.4 billion ($4.35 billion) over the course of the lease.
  • The UK's financial contribution will be less than its operating costs for an aircraft carrier annually.
  • The US will shoulder the operational costs of the base, which exceed the UK's financial contribution.
  • The deal includes a potential 50-year extension and a clause giving the UK right of first refusal thereafter.
  • The Chagos Islands were detached from Mauritius by the UK in 1965 and formed the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Sources:

  • Reuters
  • The Telegraph
  • IE Online Media Services Pvt. Ltd.
  • Contify.com

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