Chagos Deal: Berenger Demands Ramgoolam Clarify UK U-Turn Reports

Opposition leader Paul Berenger, head of the Militant Progressive Front (FMP, known in Creole as the Fron militan progresis), has called on Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam to publicly clarify the state of the Chagos Islands deal following a report in The Economist that raised the possibility of a British reversal on sovereignty.

The Economist article, which Berenger cited directly, suggested the United Kingdom may be reconsidering key elements of the agreement it reached with Mauritius over the Chagos Archipelago. That deal, announced in principle in 2024, would see Mauritius recognised as the sovereign power over the Chagos Islands in exchange for granting the UK and United States a long-term lease on Diego Garcia, home to a strategically vital joint military base in the Indian Ocean.

Berenger's demand for clarification reflects growing unease in Mauritius about where the negotiations stand. The agreement has been politically sensitive on all sides: in Mauritius, some argue the terms do not go far enough in restoring full sovereignty, while in the UK, the deal has faced fierce criticism from Conservative and Reform politicians who oppose any transfer of control over the archipelago.

The FMP leader has criticised what he sees as a lack of transparency from the Ramgoolam government on a matter of historic national importance. Mauritius has long maintained that the Chagos Islands were illegally excised from its territory by Britain in 1965, three years before independence, a position upheld by an International Court of Justice advisory opinion in 2019 and a UN General Assembly resolution the same year.

The Diego Garcia base, operated jointly by the UK and US, is considered one of the most strategically significant military installations in the world, projecting power across the Indian Ocean, the Middle East and beyond. Its future status is central to any final agreement.

As of now, no finalised treaty has been signed. Talks have continued through multiple changes of government in both London and Port Louis, with each new administration reassessing the terms inherited from its predecessor.

What this means: For Mauritians, the Chagos question is not just a diplomatic issue. It carries deep historical and emotional weight, tied to the forced removal of the Chagossian community and the country's long campaign for full decolonisation. Any sign that London might walk back its commitments would be seen as a serious setback, and opposition figures like Berenger are signalling they will hold the government accountable for keeping the public informed as negotiations continue.

Source: Le Defi Media