The Chagos Islands consist of seven atolls in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The archipelago is a British territory that has been administered from London since the 19th century and hosts a joint US-UK military base.
But last year, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed an agreement to return the archipelago to Mauritius. This included leasing the land where the Diego Garcia air base is located to the UK.
However, the handover process was paused earlier this year, following criticism from Donald Trump, who called it “a big fool.” Now the timeframe within which the legislation was to be considered has expired, and the process has been definitively halted, a government spokesman announced on Saturday.
