Maldives Formally Objects to UK Mauritius Deal on the Chagos Islands

The Maldives said on Thursday that it objected to the UK-Mauritius deal on the Chagos Islands to transfer sovereignty from Britain to Mauritius.

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu told parliament that the government formally submitted objections to the UK on November 8, 2024, and January 18, 2026, expressing “rejection of this decision.”

A statement from the presidential office said Muizzu conveyed to British Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy during a call on December 15 that the Maldives wanted further consultations on the matter.

Muizzu told lawmakers that legal proceedings have commenced to recover the maritime area lost following a ruling by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

He also announced the government’s decision to rescind a letter sent by former Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to Mauritius on August 22, 2022, which recognised Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos Islands.

The announcement comes after US President Donald Trump dropped his opposition to the agreement in which Britain returned the islands to Mauritius.

However, after speaking with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump warned in a post on Truth Social that he retains the right to “secure and reinforce” the US presence on Diego Garcia island, which hosts a strategic military base, if the British deal comes undone or the American presence is threatened.

Planned parliamentary debates on the UK deal were delayed last month following backlash from Trump, who criticised the agreement as “an act of great stupidity.”

In May last year, the UK and Mauritius signed the deal to transfer sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius, ending more than two centuries of British rule, in exchange for allowing the US and UK to continue operating the Diego Garcia military base for the next 99 years.

The Chagos Archipelago, a group of seven atolls comprising more than 60 islands in the central Indian Ocean, is located 500 kilometres south of the Maldives.