Mauritius has voiced frustration over the stalled ratification of its 2025 Chagos Archipelago treaty with the UK, tying the issue to the escalating Middle East conflict in an official communiqué, condeming the war on Iran as illegal.
The statement, released yesterday by the Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam’s Office and shared by local media, intensified scrutiny of the strategic UK-US military base on Diego Garcia.
The Inter-Ministerial Committee – chaired by the PM and including the Deputy Prime Minister Paul Bérenger, Attorney-General Gavin Glover and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dhananjay Ramful – expressed concern that US and Israeli strikes on Iran and Iran’s retaliatory actions, lack “legal underpinning under international law”.
They called for “an immediate ceasefire and recourse to peaceful means”, while reaffirming Mauritius’ commitment to the “international rules-based order”.
The statement also highlighted “controversies” over military bases in the conflict.
On Chagos, it noted the May 22, 2025 agreement has not entered force “despite the common will of the parties”, with “no visibility” on timing.
It condemned what it called unauthorised presence on outer islands, allegedly aided by “wealthy individuals” and “certain politicians”, as contrary to plans for orderly resettlement, a reference to UK-based supporters of the Chagossian cause opposed to the sovereignty transfer.
Chagossian representatives, headed by Chagos Refugees Group leader Olivier Bancoult, were consulted as per custom.
The full text appeared via Minority Voice, which publishes Prime Minister’s Office releases verbatim.
In the UK, the Chagos deal has been highly controversial, with many questioning the wisdom behind the decision to give the island away.
Adding to this is the fact is that the island were never inhabited by humans before European settlers discovered it, meaning Mauritius does not have a historic claim.
The Chagos deal, which grants sovereignty to Mauritius with an extendable 99-year UK lease on Diego Garcia and annual payments of around £101 million, also strained UK-US relations.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer defends the deal as the only means to secure the joint base long-term.
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticised it.
On his Truth Social website, he called the handover an “act of great stupidity”, warned leases offer no real security and urged Starmer not to “give away Diego Garcia” or cede control to new claimants.
He has linked the issue to perceptions of western weakness, including in potential Iran operations.
Earlier, Trump had shown strong disappointment in the lacklustre help from the UK in the war against Iran.
UK officials insist the treaty guarantees unrestricted US-UK access, troop basing and overflight rights.
Ratification faces delays in the UK parliament, with Cabinet papers noting progress depends on US agreement.
A Foreign Office source recently clarified there is “no pause”, despite earlier ministerial remarks suggesting discussions with Washington continue.
Diego Garcia hosts vital US-UK facilities: A 12,000ft runway, deep-water lagoon, submarine berths and prepositioned stocks.
It supports Indian Ocean operations, Middle East logistics, bomber missions and surveillance, crucial for projecting power toward the Persian Gulf and countering Chinese ambitions.
The base anchors the western maritime position in the Indo-Pacific, enabling freedom-of-navigation, deterrence along key sea lanes and sustained deployments distant from continental hubs.
Amid China’s expanding navy and Belt and Road investments in Mauritius, including infrastructure, analysts warn post-sovereignty transfer could enable intelligence-gathering, dual-use facilities, or political leverage – eroding exclusive western control over time.
US President Donald Trump has suggested that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is “pandering” to Muslim voters by declining to support US military strikes against Iran, in a fresh escalation of tensions between the two leaders. https://t.co/fsCxRnI01H
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) March 3, 2026
