A bill laying out plans to return the Indian Ocean archipelago, home to the US-UK Diego Garcia base, has been paused.By AFP and ReutersPublished On 11 Apr 202611 Apr 2026The United Kingdom is setting aside a bill to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius amid a lack of support from United States President Donald Trump, as Mauritius vows to “spare no effort” to reclaim the archipelago.“We have always said we would only proceed with the deal if it has US support,” a UK government spokesperson said in a statement, according to the Reuters and AFP news agencies on Saturday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThis followed reports in the UK media that said a bill laying out plans to cede sovereignty of the 60-plus Indian Ocean islands had been dropped from the next parliamentary agenda, which starts on May 13.Last May, the UK and Mauritius jointly announced a deal that would return full sovereignty of Chagos to Mauritius, which is some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) away from the archipelago.Britain would then pay to lease Diego Garcia – the largest island and a strategic location in the middle of the Indian Ocean between Asia and Africa, which is home to the military base – on a 99-year lease to preserve US operations there.But Trump opposed the move, calling it an “act of great stupidity” in January.“Diego Garcia is a key strategic military asset for both the UK and the US. Ensuring its long-term operational security is and will continue to be our priority – it is the entire reason for the deal,” the UK government spokesperson added in his statement.“We are continuing to engage with the US and Mauritius.”The statement added that the UK “continue[s] to believe the agreement is the best way to protect the long-term future of the base”. Advertisement Mauritius, for its part, pledged not give up on repossession efforts.Speaking at an Indian Ocean Conference hosted in Mauritius o …
