US delegation to visit Mauritius for security pact talks, Diego Garcia base

New Delhi: A US delegation plans to visit Mauritius on February 24 and 25 for talks on a proposed US-Mauritius Security Partnership Agreement and enhanced cooperation in the western Indian Ocean.

The US is ostensibly concerned with transfer of sovereignty around Diego Garcia as part of a UK-Chagos deal. US President Donald Trump had recently charged the UK of "great stupidity" over its decision last year to give up sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, which hosts a UK-US military base at Diego Garcia. However, under the Chagos agreement signed between the UK and Mauritius in May 2025, the UK can continue leasing Diego Garcia for 99 years at a cost of more than $100 million a year.

Active US role in the region is a potential irritant in its ties with India, which has had a significant strategic presence in the western and southern Indian Ocean Region for decades. To make matters worse, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu told parliament last week that his government formally submitted objections to the UK on November 8, 2024, and January 18, 2026, expressing "rejection" to the UK-Mauritius deal to transfer Chagos sovereignty.


India has backed Mauritius over Chagos sovereignty. Last year, a major highlight of the meeting between the PMs of India and Mauritius during the visit of Mauritius PM here was India's offer to assist Mauritius to survey its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which has increased due to inclusion of Chagos Islands in Mauritian territory. Currently, the size of Mauritius EEZ is estimated at 2.3 million square kilometre. Mauritius has a modest coast guard, operating less than a dozen patrol vessels. The two sides have renewed a pact for India's support for hydrographic surveys in the EEZ of Mauritius.

Mauritius will use an Indian ship to travel to Chagos Islands to put its flag there and this has huge symbolic significance. This sends a subtle message to the UK, which had earlier offered Mauritius a ship to reach Chagos. India has historically backed Mauritius in its decolonisation efforts.

India, which has robust defence ties with Mauritius, will help in surveillance of Chagos Marine Protected Area. This would enable India to keep an eye on China's growing interests in the region as well as the UK's presence in the south western Indian Ocean Region, according to analysts. India will also help in the redevelopment of Port Louis.

The Chagos Islands were historically part of Mauritius. However, just three years before Mauritius gained independence from the UK, London detached the archipelago in 1965. The UK leased Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands, to the US for a joint UK-US military base.

The International Court of Justice in 2019 ruled that the UK's control over the Chagos Islands was illegal and the archipelago should be returned to Mauritius. The UK agreed to return the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius in October 2024.