UK Defends Chagos Sovereignty Deal Amid Trump Criticism and Chagossian Protests

The British government defended its landmark deal to hand sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius while leasing back the Diego Garcia military base, after U.S. President Donald Trump denounced the agreement as “an act of GREAT STUPIDITY” on Tuesday. The treaty, signed in May 2025 and valued at about £3.4 billion, ends a decades‑long colonial-era dispute but has opened new political and moral fault lines in London, Washington and among exiled Chagossians bbc +2.

Under the agreement, Mauritius will assume sovereignty over the Indian Ocean archipelago, while the UK and US retain long‑term access to Diego Garcia, a critical hub for operations across the Middle East and Indo‑Pacific, through a 99‑year lease arrangement and extensive security guarantees bbc +1.

Strategic Security vs. ‘Great Stupidity’

Trump accused Britain of “giving away extremely important land… FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER”, calling the move “total weakness” despite his administration having previously welcomed the deal as safeguarding U.S. basing rights cbsnews +1. His public reversal injected uncertainty into a settlement Washington had endorsed after an internal review, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio stating in 2025 that the treaty secured “the long‑term, stable, and effective operation” of Diego Garcia bbc.

UK officials countered that the agreement was driven by mounting legal and diplomatic pressure following a 2019 International Court of Justice advisory opinion and a UN resolution urging London to end its administration of the territory npr +1. A government spokesperson said Britain “acted because the base on Diego Garcia was under threat after court decisions undermined our position,” arguing that ceding sovereignty while locking in a 99‑year lease, a 12‑nautical‑mile UK‑controlled zone and joint veto powers over activity within 24 nautical miles offers stronger long‑term security guarantees than clinging to contested colonial claims bbc +1.

Historic Redress or New Injustice for Chagossians?

For Mauritius, the treaty is framed as the enforcement of international law, with Attorney General Gavin Glover insisting that its sovereignty over Chagos is “unambiguously recognised” and no longer open to debate bbc. The package includes a £40 million trust fund for Chagossians and a broader development grant for Mauritius, alongside language declaring it a “full and final settlement” of all Mauritian claims bbc.

Many Chagossians, forcibly removed from the islands in the late 1960s and 1970s to make way for the base, condemned the negotiations as yet another deal done over their heads pbs +1. A House of Lords committee found “widespread” feelings of exclusion in a survey of more than 3,000 Chagossians, while activists said they had been “stabbed in the back” and warned the accord could entrench barriers to return and self‑determination even as the UK and Mauritius close the book on their own dispute pbs +1.

The Bigger Picture

The clash over Chagos has become a test of how mid‑sized powers reconcile historic responsibilities, strategic interests and the demands of allies. While the UK and Mauritius portray the treaty as a pragmatic resolution that preserves U.S. and UK military reach in the Indian Ocean, Trump’s attack and Chagossian anger exposed how contested that pragmatism remains — from Washington’s domestic politics to the displaced community still waiting to discover whether a legal settlement will translate into justice on the ground bbc +2.