British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will sign an agreement with Mauritius to transfer the Chagos archipelago. The Telegraph reports that Britain will lease the territory of the British-American military base on the island of Diego Garcia for 99 years.
Negotiations were previously stalled due to a change of president in the United States, as the Trump administration needed time to study the terms. Chagos, known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, is strategically important, and the air base on Diego Garcia is used for operations in the Middle East.
Negotiations with Mauritius began in 2019 after Britain lost a case at the UN International Court of Justice. The Labor government announced its intention to transfer Chagos in October 2024.
