Ramgoolam Flies to London to Meet UK's Jonathan Powell on Chagos

Mauritius Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam has travelled to London for a meeting with Jonathan Powell, the UK's National Security Adviser and one of Britain's most senior figures involved in the long-running Chagos Islands sovereignty negotiations. The visit signals that diplomatic engagement between Mauritius and the United Kingdom over the future of the Chagos Archipelago — home to the strategically vital Diego Garcia military base — remains active, despite the deal agreed under the previous Mauritian government being thrown into uncertainty. **What is the Chagos dispute?** The Chagos Islands, officially known as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), have been administered by the United Kingdom since 1965. Mauritius has long maintained that the islands are part of its sovereign territory and were unlawfully detached before independence. In 2024, the UK and Mauritius reached a landmark agreement in principle that would hand sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius while allowing the UK and US to continue operating the Diego Garcia air and naval base for at least 99 years. However, the deal stalled after political changes on both sides of the negotiation. In Mauritius, the Labour-led Alliance du Changement, headed by Ramgoolam, swept to power in November 2024, replacing the previous government that had brokered the agreement. Critics — including opposition leader Paul Bérenger of the MMM — have accused Ramgoolam of slowing progress on the deal, with Bérenger previously slamming the Prime Minister for skipping a UN-level summit on the issue. Xavier-Luc Duval, leader of the PMSD party, has also publicly blamed both Ramgoolam and Bérenger for what he described as killing the Chagos deal. **Who is Jonathan Powell?** Jonathan Powell is a highly experienced British diplomat and political figure, best known for his role as Chief of Staff to former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and his key involvement in the Northern Ireland peace process. He was appointed National Security Adviser by Prime Minister Keir Starmer in 2024. His involvement in the Chagos talks underlines how seriously the UK government is treating the negotiations at the highest level. **What this means** Ramgoolam's direct trip to London to meet Powell suggests that high-level talks on Chagos are continuing, even as political pressure at home mounts over the pace and direction of negotiations. For Mauritius, securing sovereignty over the Chagos Islands would represent a historic milestone — one that successive governments have pursued for decades. The terms of any final agreement, particularly around revenue sharing from the Diego Garcia base and the resettlement rights of displaced Chagossians, remain deeply sensitive. The outcome of this London meeting could shape whether the current framework survives, is renegotiated, or collapses entirely — with significant consequences for Mauritius's international standing and its relationship with both the UK and the United States. Source: Le Défi Media