Chagos Islands should not be handed over to Mauritius, president of Maldives says in letter to UK prime minister.
8 Sep 2026
Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has written to UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham requesting the reopening of sovereignty talks over the Chagos Islands instead of proceeding with the handover to Mauritius.
In a statement released Tuesday by the Maldives presidential office, Muizzu stressed “the importance of meaningful dialogue between the UK and the Maldives on matters concerning the sovereignty of the Chagos archipelago”.
The Maldivian government asserts that its claim to the Chagos Islands rests on historical ties and geographical proximity, noting the archipelago lies roughly 500 km (310 miles) from Male compared to more than four times that distance from Mauritius.
The islands host the key UK-US military installation on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago and a strategic location in the central Indian Ocean between Asia and Africa. The UK leases the base to the United States under a 99-year agreement.
In his letter, Muizzu “expressed the Maldives’ concerns regarding the UK’s decision to proceed with the handover of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius”.
Burnham’s predecessor, Keir Starmer, finalised a deal in May 2025 to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The multibillion-dollar agreement would allow the UK to retain control of the strategically important US-UK airbase on Diego Garcia.
However, Muizzu stated he was “deeply disappointed” that the UK did not consult the Maldives when Starmer agreed to cede sovereignty of the archipelago to Mauritius, and urged Burnham to “rectify this oversight by your predecessor”.
Muizzu also highlighted “the shared history and cultural ties between the Maldives and Chagos, as well as the Maldives’ longstanding support for major marine conservation and scientific research expeditions in the region”.
Last April, the UK shelved Starmer’s bill that would have returned the Chagos Islands to Mauritius due to a lack of support from US President Donald Trump, while Mauritius promised to “spare no effort” to reclaim the archipelago.
A UK Foreign Office spokesperson told the Press Association on Tuesday that “the question of sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago is a matter for the UK and Mauritius, which is why the previous government launched negotiations with Mauritius on the issue in 2022, rather than with the Maldives”.
