Chagos Archipelago sovereignty dispute

Sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago is disputed between Mauritius, Maldives and the United Kingdom. Mauritius has repeatedly stated that the Chagos Archipelago is part of its territory and that the United Kingdom claim is a violation of United Nations resolutions banning the dismemberment of colonial territories before independence. On 22 May 2019, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a non-binding resolution declaring that the archipelago was part of Mauritius; 116 countries voted in favour of Mauritius while six opposed it.

The British government has declared that it has "no doubt" about its sovereignty over the Chagos, yet has also said that the Chagos will be returned to Mauritius once the islands are no longer required for military purposes. Given the absence of any meaningful progress with the United Kingdom, Mauritius took up the matter at various legal and political forums. In 2021, Mauritius amended its Criminal Code to outlaw "misrepresenting the sovereignty of Mauritius over any part of its territory", with the penalty of a fine or jail term up to 10 years.^[1] As the act is extraterritorial, it restricts the abilities of Chagossians both in Mauritius and around the world to voice their opinions on the legal status of the Chagos Archipelago.^[2]

On 3 November 2022, it was announced that the United Kingdom and Mauritius had decided to begin negotiations on sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory, taking into account the recent international legal proceedings.^[3] In December 2023, it was reported that the British government was planning to discontinue the talks.^[4] In October 2024, it was jointly announced that an agreement had been reached to transfer sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius. However, in December 2024 the newly-elected Mauritian government rejected the current agreement and demanded talks reopen.