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UK high court blocks government plan to hand over Chagos Island to Mauritius
A high court judge's order has blocked the UK government's plan to hand over the Chagos archipelago to Mauritius.
The UK government has been banned from handing over the disputed Chagos Island to Mauritius due to last-minute legal action.
At 2:25 BST, high court judge Justice Goose granted "interim relief" to two Chagossian women who filed a case against the Foreign Office.
The case filed by the two women - Bernadette Dugasse and Bertrice Pompe - objected the UK's plan to handover the island to Mauritius, and criticised the lack of consultation of Chagossian people.
"The government's attempt to give away the Chagossians' homeland whilst failing to hold a formal consultation with the Chagossian people is a continuation of their terrible treatment by the authorities in the past," stated Michael Polak, the lawyer for the two women.
“The defendant shall take no conclusive or legally binding step to conclude its negotiations concerning the possible transfer of the British Indian Ocean Territory, also known as the Chagos Archipelago, to a foreign government or bind itself as to the particular terms of any such transfer," read the order issued by Justice Goose.
This injunction comes ahead of PM Starmer's virtual signing ceremony with representatives of the Mauritian government.
UK agrees to cede islands to Mauritius
After 200 years of British occupation of the Chagos Island, the UK government announced it will be returning the archipelago and its sovereignty to Mauritius.
With this handover, the sovereignty of Diego Garcia, a military base for the United States, would also be handed over to Mauritius.
In a joint statement by UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Mauritian Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth in 2024, the handover marked an end to the history of disputes between the two nations.
Under this deal, Britain agreed to cede control over the islands to Mauritius and lease Diego Garcia for 99 years for the operation of the joint US-UK military base.
What are the Chagos Islands?
Chagos Islands are an archipelago in the Indian Ocean. The islands were separated from Mauritius in 1965 when the nation was still a British colony.
The UK purchased the islands for three million pounds. However, Mauritius claims it was illegally forced to give away the islands in exchange for independence from British rule.
In the 1960s, Britain entered a deal with the US to build a military base on Diego Garcia, prompting the removal of thousands of residents.
In 1971, an immigration order was passed which barred to return of the islanders to the base.
