UK Judge Halts Chagos Islands Transfer In Last-Minute Legal Twist

 

A British judge has temporarily blocked Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s plan to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, throwing a major wrench into a deal that had been poised for finalization. The last-minute court intervention came just hours before the agreement was expected to be signed.

The legal challenge was brought by Bernadette Dugasse and Bertrice Pompe, two Chagossian women living in the UK who argued that the British government was proceeding without consulting the very people who were exiled from the islands decades ago. Their case centers on human rights concerns and the right of the Chagossian community to return to their homeland.

A full court hearing began Thursday morning, putting the entire transfer in jeopardy as the debate over sovereignty and justice for displaced islanders continues.

The Chagos Islands, a small archipelago in the Indian Ocean, have long been at the center of geopolitical controversy. The UK has controlled the territory since 1814, but in 1965—just before granting independence to Mauritius—London separated the islands and retained control, renaming the area the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Soon after, the British government forcibly removed nearly 2,000 Chagossians from their homes to make way for a military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the chain. That base, now leased to the United States, remains a vital strategic asset for Western military operations in the Indian Ocean.

Prime Minister Starmer’s administration has framed the proposed return of the islands as a long-overdue step toward rectifying a colonial injustice. However, the plan has ignited fierce debate in both the UK and the US due to its implications for military and national security.

While the agreement would leave the US-UK base on Diego Garcia under existing control, critics argue that Mauritius’ close economic ties with China pose a serious risk. Former Defence Minister Grant Shapps condemned the plan earlier this year, warning that Chinese influence could compromise sensitive military operations in the region.

“(China) will use territory to expand their influence. They will spy,” Shapps said. “A lot of sensitive stuff goes on at British military bases. So you don’t want to be surrounded by potential adversaries.”

Beyond strategic concerns, there has also been outrage over the lack of consultation with the Chagossian community, many of whom have lived in exile for generations. Dugasse and Pompe have been vocal about the need for their voices to be heard in any decision about the islands’ future.

Pompe, who resides in London, expressed her frustration in an earlier interview: “I’d love to go back… I’d love to go there for longer than one week … the UK is not my country but I have to be here just to try get back to where I belong.”

The legal and moral debate gained global traction in 2019 when the International Court of Justice ruled that the UK should return the islands to Mauritius “as rapidly as possible,” calling for decolonization in line with the right to self-determination. Though the ruling was non-binding, it was strongly backed by the United Nations General Assembly.

Now, with a judge's intervention and a court hearing underway, the future of the Chagos Islands remains in limbo—caught between history, geopolitics, and the enduring call for justice from a displaced people.