Chagos Islands ‘not a piece of real estate for sale’, Trump warned amid reports he wants to buy territory
Donald Trump has been warned that the Chagos Islands are “not a piece of real estate to be sold” amid reports that the White House is considering buying the region.
As Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to hand over British sovereignty over the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius continues to stall, the rumored proposal would see the US bypass the UK and buy the island, which is home to the key US-UK Diego Garcia military base.
But Misley Mandarin, the exiled first minister of the Chagossian government, which is currently in a legal dispute with the UK government, has made clear that Trump’s offer will be opposed.
he said Independent: “The Chagos Islands are not for sale and should not be ceded. The only possible option is the resettlement of British Chagossians to the British Indian Ocean Territory.”
Attempts to end British rule on the islands led Lord Peter Weir, a member of the Democratic Unionist Party, to introduce a bipartisan bill in the House of Lords to impose a “triple lock” that prevents the islands from being sold to the United States or handed over to Mauritius or other interested parties.
The row began when Sir Keir announced his government would hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and pay £35bn to lease back the base and secure its future.
The UK government argued that it was obliged to make the agreement because the International Court of Justice had ruled in favor of Mauritius’ sovereignty over the islands.
However, critics have pointed out that the United Kingdom has immunity from ICJ decisions regarding the Commonwealth and former colonial territories. The same exemption applies to International Maritime Law, which the UK government claims could face further legal challenges.
Concerns remain over whether the loss of sovereignty could open the door for China to acquire a base on the islands, which would render Diego Garcia useless. Additionally, the UK and US will be required to report to Mauritius all operations carried out at the base, including recent military operations against Iran.
Sources told Independent President Trump did not view the acquisition of the Chagos Islands in the same light as his attempts to bully Denmark into surrendering Greenland.
“This was one of the options considered to ease the terrible deal between the UK and Mauritius,” a source said. “It’s not on the table anymore.”
This debate was also reflected in the bill tabled by Lord Weir after the government suspended its attempts to implement the agreement with Mauritius.
The Chagos agreement was not included in the King’s speech and would require new legislation that could not be passed in the previous parliamentary session.
Lord Weir said: “It is encouraging that this was not included in the King’s speech, but it is disturbing that the UK government says it is not abandoning the deal.”
His bill means that any attempt to overthrow British rule would require legislation in parliament, approval from the Chagossan government and a referendum of the Chagossans.
This also fits with the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) court’s decision that the UK should allow Chagossans to resettle on the islands.
Regarding the sale to Trump and the Mauritius deal, Lord Weir added: “I do not believe that people or sovereignty can be put up for sale. This is British territory, not simply a piece of real estate that can be simply sold or given away.”
He said his experiences in Northern Ireland had highlighted “the importance of self-determination” and said the bill would pave the way for other protectorate states, such as the Falkland Islands, to protect their own destiny.
