{"id":3852,"date":"2026-01-21T19:11:28","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T19:11:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/home\/trump-britain-handing-chagos-to-mauritius-is-sheer-folly"},"modified":"2026-01-22T22:18:25","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T22:18:25","slug":"trump-britain-handing-chagos-to-mauritius-is-sheer-folly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/en\/policy\/trump-britain-handing-chagos-to-mauritius-is-sheer-folly","title":{"rendered":"Trump: Britain Handing Chagos to Mauritius is Sheer Folly"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press. <\/strong> <\/span>U.S. President Donald Trump accused Britain of making a \u201csheer folly\u201d by signing a 2024 agreement to hand over the Chagos Islands, located in the Indian Ocean, to Mauritius, while he himself seeks to take control of Denmark\u2019s Greenland.<\/p>\n

Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social: \u201cAbandoning a territory of such critical importance is a major blunder, and it\u2019s one more reason among a very long list related to national security that justifies acquiring Greenland.\u201d<\/p>\n

This marks a significant shift in Trump\u2019s stance, after he had previously supported the agreement.<\/p>\n

In 2024, Britain reached a \u201chistoric\u201d agreement with Mauritius, recognizing the sovereignty of its former colony over the Chagos Islands while retaining a joint U.S.-British military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago, under a lease contract.<\/p>\n

Britain had retained the Chagos Islands after its former colony gained independence in the 1960s.<\/p>\n

The shrewd ally<\/b><\/p>\n

Trump wrote: \u201cIn a shocking move, Britain, our (shrewd) NATO ally, is currently planning to hand over Diego Garcia, home to a vital U.S. military base, to Mauritius, for absolutely no reason.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cThere is no doubt that China and Russia are noticing this action, which shows total weakness. These are international powers that respect only strength. That\u2019s why the U.S. under my leadership is respected after just one year as never before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trump compared Chagos to Greenland, stating: \u201cDenmark and its European allies must do what is necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Chagos agreement was signed last May in London, with U.S. support at the time.<\/p>\n

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised on X the agreement, saying it \u201censures a long-term, stable, and effective use of the Diego Garcia base, essential for regional and global security.\u201d<\/p>\n

Britain and Mauritius defend the Chagos agreement<\/p>\n

Both Britain and Mauritius have defended the agreement to return the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritian sovereignty.<\/p>\n

A British government spokesperson at Downing Street responded to Trump\u2019s remarks, saying that the agreement \u201censures the continued operation of the U.S.-UK military base on Diego Garcia for generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

The spokesperson added that the agreement \u201chas been publicly welcomed by the United States and Australia, as well as all other Five Eyes allies\u2014Canada and New Zealand\u2014and key international partners including India, Japan, and South Korea.\u201d<\/p>\n

Historical background<\/b><\/p>\n

The dispute dates back to 1968, when Britain retained control of the Chagos Islands after Mauritius gained independence. In subsequent years, around 2,000 residents of the archipelago, especially on Diego Garcia, were forcibly removed to make way for the military base.<\/p>\n

In Mauritius, the government has stated that returning the Chagos Islands to national sovereignty \u201cshould no longer be up for discussion.\u201d Port Louis maintains a firm and balanced stance on the issue, affirming its commitment to the agreement while awaiting Britain\u2019s completion of legislative procedures to ratify the treaty.<\/p>\n

Mauritian authorities view Trump\u2019s statements as a \u201csudden shift in the U.S. position,\u201d causing concern and anger within the country, especially among political leaders and representatives of Chagos residents. Mauritius emphasized that the agreement was negotiated and signed exclusively between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Mauritius, with no third-party involvement.<\/p>\n

The Mauritian government welcomed initial British statements confirming London\u2019s intention to ratify the agreement once parliamentary procedures are complete.<\/p>\n

In a press statement, Mauritian Justice Minister Gavin Glover stressed that \u201cthe sovereignty of the Republic of Mauritius over the Chagos Archipelago is conclusively recognized under international law and should no longer be questioned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Domestically, Khoshal Lubin, a member of the majority party in parliament, expressed \u201csurprise and concern over the rapidly evolving global geopolitics.\u201d Meanwhile, Olivier Bancoult, leader of the Chagossian group, denounced Trump\u2019s position as \u201cincomprehensible,\u201d reaffirming his confidence in Britain\u2019s ratification of the agreement.<\/p>\n

Bancoult stated that the agreement represents a necessary step \u201cto redress a historical injustice spanning more than sixty years\u201d and to enable the Chagos residents to return home after decades of forced displacement.<\/p>\n

Find more news and analyses on Africa<\/span> on the Africa Press<\/span> website<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press. U.S. President Donald Trump accused Britain of making a \u201csheer folly\u201d by signing a 2024 agreement to hand over the Chagos Islands, located in the Indian Ocean, to Mauritius, while he himself seeks to take control of Denmark\u2019s Greenland. Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social: \u201cAbandoning a territory of such critical importance is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":3851,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[120],"class_list":{"0":"post-3852","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-policy","8":"tag-africa"},"yoast_head":"\nTrump: Britain Handing Chagos to Mauritius is Sheer Folly - Africa Press English<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"-article-header-tag"> Africa-Press. 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