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Updated · Bloomberg · Apr 23Mauritius Extends Deadline for UK to Secure Trump’s Backing on Chagos Islands Deal
2 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Apr 23
- Mauritius has granted the UK more time to secure US President Donald Trump’s support for a delayed Chagos Islands sovereignty deal.
- The UK paused the planned handover of the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius after Trump, who initially backed the deal, later called it a "big mistake."
- Nearly a year after agreeing to terms, the transfer remains stalled as Washington’s approval is awaited, prolonging the sovereignty dispute.
What happens if the UK Parliament's deadline expires before the US gives its approval? With Chagossians now resettling, is the UK-Mauritius sovereignty deal already obsolete? Could the Maldives' surprise claim to Chagos offer the US a strategic escape hatch? Why is there a £47 billion discrepancy in the UK's cost for the Chagos deal? Does President Trump's reversal signal a new US doctrine for its overseas military bases? How will India navigate its support for Mauritius against rising Maldivian-Chinese influence?