The United States is considering a proposal to buy the Chagos Islands from Mauritius. The US officials are looking at ways to deal directly with Mauritius instead of going through the United Kingdom, according to reports. The objective is to secure control over Diego Garcia, a key island in the Chagos group.
Diego Garcia hosts an important US-UK military base, used for operations across the Indian Ocean, the Middle East, and parts of Asia.
How The Islands Were Split From Mauritius
The United Kingdom has controlled the Chagos Islands, also known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, since 1814. In 1965, the islands were separated from Mauritius when it was still a British colony. The UK bought the islands for 3 million British pounds, but Mauritius later said this separation was not fair and happened under pressure.
Between 1967 and 1973, people living on the islands were forcibly removed by the British government. This was done to clear the way for a military base.
Mauritius became independent in 1968, but it has continued to claim that the Chagos Islands legally belong to it. It argues that the islands were taken away before independence in an unfair way.
In 2025, the UK agreed to transfer control of the islands back to Mauritius. However, some leaders, including US President Donald Trump, criticised the move.
The Chagos Islands were settled for many years after the Dutch and French brought enslaved Africans and Malagasy people to work on coconut plantations. These people and their descendants developed their own culture, language, food, and music. This community is known as the Chagossians.
Before the US-UK military base was built on Diego Garcia in 1971, the US wanted the islands to be cleared of local people. British officials agreed that the residents were not permanent settlers and called them a few “Tarzans of Man Fridays.”
After this, the entire Chagossian population was removed from the islands. People were taken on ships and moved to Mauritius and the Seychelles. Many were not given proper housing, money, or documents, and they struggled to rebuild their lives. The UK later apologised for how the removal was handled.
After the people were removed, the islands were mostly left empty and were turned into forests. In 2010, the area was declared a Marine Protected Area.
What The UK-Mauritius Deal Actually Says
The UK and Mauritius had agreed on a plan for the Chagos Islands. The UK will continue to operate the joint US-UK military base on Diego Garcia for 99 years. After that, the agreement can be extended for another 40 years if both the UK and Mauritius agree. It can be extended even further after that if both sides agree again.
If the agreement ends after 99 years, the UK will still have the first right to use the base for the next 40 years if Mauritius decides to offer it to another country. Mauritius cannot end the agreement freely. It can only do so if the UK does not make the required payments or if the UK attacks Mauritius.
The UK will pay Mauritius every year for using Diego Garcia. Over 99 years, this payment is expected to total about 3.4 billion British pounds. The agreement also includes money for the Chagossian people. The UK will put 40 million British pounds into a trust fund for them. The agreement does not clearly guarantee that Chagossians will be allowed to return and live on the islands again.
In April, the UK government paused its plan to transfer control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after Trump criticised the move.
