Mauritian Prime Minister wants an outside review of the deal between the UK and Mauritius over the Chagos Islands

Navin Ramgoolam, the prime minister of Mauritius, said on Friday that he has asked for a third party to look over a secret draft deal between his country and Britain about the future of the Chagos Islands.

Thursday, the British government said it was sure that the deal to keep the U.S.-British military base on the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean would be approved.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer wants to finish a political deal that was made in October and gives Mauritius control of the Chagos Islands and a 99-year lease on the base.

Both sides still need to agree to the deal. Ramgoolam, who won an election this month, doesn’t believe the deal is good. In a speech to parliament on Thursday, he said that his new government would be able to look over the review decision.

The foreign minister of Britain refused to say anything.

David Lammy, the British foreign minister, said earlier this week that he was sure the deal would go through. He also said that the deal had been praised by U.S. spy agencies, the State Department, and the Pentagon. He said that Britain was fine with giving the new government of Mauritius time to look over the details.

When it was first announced, U.S. President Joe Biden backed the deal. However, the next government that takes office after Donald Trump in January could question it.

Marco Rubio, Trump’s choice for secretary of state, has said that the deal is very bad for U.S. security because it gives the island to a country that is friendly with China. The U.S. uses the archipelago as a vital base for both long-range bombers and warships.

London still controlled the Chagos Islands after Mauritius became independent in the 1960s. In the 1970s, up to 2,000 people were forced to leave their homes to make room for the base.

After years of sometimes heated talks, Britain said last month that it would give up the islands. But many of the Chagossians who were sent into exile say they had nothing to do with the talks and can’t support it.

He said he hoped the study would be done quickly. Olivier Bancoult is with the Chagos Refugees Group, which fights for the rights of Chagossians.

According to Bancoult, the Chagossian people have been wronged and need to be made whole.