Mauritius prime minister wants Chagos Islands deal with UK reviewed

Mauritius’ Prime Minister said he has ordered an independent review of an agreement with the United Kingdom which returns control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

Navin Ramgoolam told parliament that the findings would be tabled before the cabinet for consideration.

Under the deal which is yet to be signed, the UK would surrender the Islands to Mauritius but keep Diego Garcia which houses a major base for US and UK troops.

The deal was agreed in October before Ramgoolam shot to power with his Change Coalition in elections in November.

During campaigning, Ramgoolam and his allies criticized the agreement as ‘sell-out’ by former Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth.

The Chagos islands, an archipelago of about 60 islands have been under British control since 1814.

In a 2019 advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice determined that the U.K. had illegally divided Mauritius, prompting a UN resolution criticizing London’s ‘colonization’ of the islands.

The deal, which paves the way for the potential return of people who were forcibly removed from the islands has been criticized by the UK opposition.