UK Court Halts Chagos Islands Sovereignty Transfer to Mauritius

A British court has temporarily blocked the UK's plan to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, just hours before the agreement was set to be signed. The move was halted due to claims by representatives of original island residents. A resettlement fund is in the draft deal.

A British court has intervened to stop the planned handover of the Chagos Islands from the UK to Mauritius, a deal that was supposed to be sealed on Thursday.

The UK intended to transfer the Indian Ocean archipelago, home to a crucial military base on Diego Garcia, maintaining a lease on the base for at least 99 years.

The U.S. administration under Donald Trump had approved the deal, but negotiations on funding delayed its completion. The court action came after claims from representatives of the islands' original residents, highlighting a longstanding dispute over sovereignty and resettlement.

(With inputs from agencies.)