Mauritius rejects alleged US plan for Chagos

Mauritius has rejected reports of a possible separate US deal over the Chagos Islands, insisting its sovereignty is ‘non-negotiable’. The response followed claims that the Trump administration was considering ways to secure long-term control of the Diego Garcia military base, reports Business Insider Africa. Britain’s plan to transfer the islands to Mauritius while retaining access to the base has faced growing pressure from Washington. The dispute has renewed tensions over sovereignty, colonial history and strategic military interests in the Indian Ocean. The Mauritian Government said it had not received any official proposal from the US and had not been approached, directly or indirectly, by the Trump administration over Diego Garcia or the wider Chagos Archipelago. The Mauritian Government’s response follows a Telegraph report that the White House was considering several options to counter Britain’s stalled plan to transfer sovereignty of the Indian Ocean islands to Mauritius while retaining access to Diego Garcia, a joint US-UK military facility. The dispute has gained renewed attention since US President Donald Trump criticised the UK-Mauritius deal earlier this year, calling it a ‘big mistake’ and warning Britain against giving up control of Diego Garcia. The proposed agreement would allow Mauritius to take sovereignty over the Chagos Islands while Britain retained the Diego Garcia base under a 99-year lease.