The Chagos Islands, a remote archipelago in the middle of the Indian Ocean, have once again become the focus of global attention following reports that the United States is exploring ways to secure its long-term interests in the territory.
According to The Telegraph, the White House is considering a plan to acquire the Chagos Islands from Mauritius. The report said U.S. officials have drawn up proposals to bypass Britain and pursue a separate deal to secure control of Diego Garcia.
Diego Garcia is the largest island in the archipelago and home to one of the most strategically important U.S. military facilities outside American territory.
The renewed interest comes as the United Kingdom moves ahead with an agreement to transfer sovereignty over the islands to Mauritius, ending a decades-long dispute that has been described by many as one of the world's unfinished decolonization cases.
A U.S. official told Reuters that President Donald Trump “has been consistent in his position that the United Kingdom should not give away the British Indian Ocean Territory, which includes our joint U.S.-UK military facility on the Diego Garcia atoll.”
