Mauritius is contemplating legal measures to compel the UK to return the Chagos Islands

Mauritius is contemplating legal action against the UK due to delays in finalizing a deal for the transfer of control over the Chagos Islands.

The government of Mauritius has announced that it is contemplating legal measures to urge the United Kingdom to return the Chagos Islands, amid escalating tensions regarding the prolonged negotiations to finalize an agreement for the transfer of sovereignty over the territory. 

Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam has charged London with delaying the ratification process of an agreement that would allow the strategically important islands to return to Mauritian control.

Under the proposed arrangement, the UK would maintain access to the military base on Diego Garcia by leasing it from Mauritius for a minimum of 99 years, with an annual payment of £101 million. The facility serves as a significant naval and bomber base for the United States military and has been regarded as a crucial strategic installation in the Indian Ocean for an extended period.

Britain has held control over the islands since 1814; however, the matter continues to be contentious because of the forced relocation of as many as 2,000 islanders in the 1960s and 1970s to accommodate the military base. 

The United Nations has expressed disapproval of the agreement, arguing that the Chagossian people should regain sovereignty instead of the Mauritian government. The international organization also states that the proposed agreement does not recognize historical wrongs, fails to offer comprehensive reparations, or permit displaced islanders to return to their ancestral land on Diego Garcia.