A deliberate remark by Donald Trump on the UK-Mauritius agreement regarding the transfer of sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, while leasing Diego Garcia back after 99 years to the UK, has grabbed global attention. The lease has been secured for an annual cost of £101 million, which traces its origin to a UK-US military base established during the colonial period. President Trump has criticised the deal as an “act of total weakness” as well as “great stupidity”, warning of the dangers from China and Russia that may take advantage of this shift. Read the article to decode the strategic importance of the Chagos Island agreement, the military significance of Diego Garcia, its dark past, and the potential implications for India.
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History Behind the Chagos Islands & Diego Garcia-
The Chagos Islands are an archipelago in the Indian Ocean with 6 atolls and 600 individual Islands that are 1000 miles from Mauritius (North-East) and 5800 miles from Britain. The Islands were captured by Britain during the colonial regime, separating Mauritius from the archipelago. Diego Garcia is the largest island of the Chagos Archipelago.
- It wasn’t until 1965 that the UK extracted the Chagos to form the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), three years after the Independence of Mauritius in 1968, according to the Treaty of Paris signed in 1814, ending the sovereignty of France on the Chagos.
- Furthermore, they didn’t specify the reason for the displacement of between 2,000 and 4,000 Chagossians or Ilios (who were agricultural workers) in the 1970s to make way for a US military base, which was widely criticised for its human rights violations.
- Constructed in 1971 as a key US Navy Support Facility for bombers such as the B-2, satellite-tracking, from the Iran Revolution through the War on Terror operation in the War in Afghanistan in 2001.
- Inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago and their descendants reside in Mauritius, Seychelles, and the UK in recent times, campaigning for their right to reclaim their motherland.
The Chagos Islands Deal Overview-
The UK-Mauritian agreement is an official statement that declares the transfer of sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius. The Chagos Islands were earlier a part of Mauritius, and the island of Diego Garcia served as a military base for the UK & the US, and it was named as Britain’s Indian Ocean territory (BIOT). Also, this deal involves leasing of Diego Garcia atoll to retain the military base, which establishes their presence in the Indian Ocean territory.
- The deal was agreed on 3rd October 2024, which is a decade-long dispute over the handover of the Chagos to Mauritius. In 2019, the International Court of Justice issued a non-binding notice for non-completion of decolonisation of Mauritius, which gained independence in 1968 from colonial rule.
- After global pressure, the UK signed the agreement on 22nd May 2025, as Mauritius has repeatedly claimed that the Chagos Archipelago was part of its territory and British claims violate the policies of the United Nations.
- Under this agreement, the UK will also lease Diego Garcia, the largest of the Islands from the Chagos as a strategic UK-US military base at £101 million (i.e. $ 136 million USD) per year.
- The deal was made to locate the displaced islanders; however, Diego Garcia is excluded from the resettlement plans as Britain is leasing the atoll.
- The 99-year lease deal may cost £3.4 billion pounds for the lifetime as the UK is securing its strategic military base. The deal is extendable for the next 40 years, which bans rival countries from accessing nearby Islands without getting permission from the UK.
- The deal was intervened by the International Court of Justice and Chaggosian Welfare, which waits for ratification by the UK and Mauritius parliaments.
Criticism by the US-
US President Donald Trump criticised the decision and called it “an act of great stupidity”, remarking that the UK’s decision was unnecessary. However, in February 2025, the President himself welcomed the agreement in the name of peace, security and prosperity in the Indian Ocean.
- Earlier, the US Secretary Marco Rubio addressed this agreement as a means of strengthening the US-UK partnership, but now Trump’s backslash UK for concerns over perceived security risks.
- During the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to the U.S.A., Trump praised the 99-year lease (extendable 40 years), but in January 2026, the US President displayed his criticism on social media, stating the handing the extremely important land to Mauritius for no reason.
- The main tension rises because of the Maurius-China relations, and trade deals that allow Beijing to influence the Diego Garcia base used for Yemen strikes and Gaza aid.
- The UK justifies the agreement as one that prevents further losses of the information to rivals.
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The Strategic Importance of Diego Garcia for the US-
The intent of undertaking the Chagos Islands, especially the Deigo Garcia, which is the largest atoll in the group, was to serve as a military base for the UK & the US. Diego Garcia is strategically important for both countries because:
- This atoll is located at the centre of the Indian Ocean, thus assisting in carrying out the military operations and dominance over the Indian Ocean Territory.
- The Diego Military base facilitated the American operations during the Vietnam War and strikes on Afghanistan and Iraq.
- The U.S. government confessed in 2008 that it had been used as a resting point for flights involved in the rendition of terrorist suspects.
- The U.S., with its 2,500 estimated employees, says the Island is a crucial and indispensable location that serves the purpose for security operations in the Middle East, South Asia and East Africa.
- Recently, in the course of intense bombing raids on the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, the U.S. transported a series of B-2 Spirit bombers with nuclear weapons to Diego Garcia.
- Also, this region is vital to house GPS satellites, surveillance and a deepwater lagoon for frigates to counter China and Iraq.
UK-Mauritius Deals Implications for India-
India is a few miles away from the Chagos Archipelago, and has key implications that can benefit India effectively. This agreement may have the following beneficial aspects for India:
- Decolonise Chagos, consistent with its position on the Global South, gain access to Diego Garcia after transferring sovereignty to Mauritius, as its long runway accommodates P8-I aircraft, and a lagoon to facilitate logistics, apart from its own Agaléga island.
- India has silently supported the US presence in the past, but did not use the “colonial ties tag” because it has a relationship with Mauritius that might allow monitoring cooperation regarding China in US-Australia relations within a stronger Quad relationship. Thus, this may nurture the India- Mauritius relationship.
- Discussing the security roles of India in New Delhi, this will create a footprint on the Indian Ocean. India is clearly faced with a predicament” on balancing “anti-colonial” ideology with real politics.
- Moreover, utilising Diego Garcia for increasing maritime surveillance capacity could raise strategic autonomy concerns, or the US could reciprocate demands on Andaman. This may foster trilateral security with the US and the UK.