Maldives rejects UK-Mauritius deal on Chagos, prepares to lodge case with ICJ

The Maldivian government says it is pursing a formal submission to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its objection to the deal made by the United Kingdom to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

In May 2025, the UK officially agreed to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius, ending over two centuries of British rule, in exchange for allowing the United States and UK to continue operating the strategically important Diego Garcia military base for the next 99 years.

On February 5, Maldivian President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu told the Parliament that the government formally submitted objections to the UK on November 8, 2024 and January 18, 2026, rejecting the handover of Chagos to Mauritius.

And in interviews to international media, President Muizzu argued that the Maldives has historical claims to the archipelago dating back centuries. He also said that if Maldives were to get Chagos, it is willing to reach a deal with the US so it can continue operating the Diego Garcia base.

His office has sent a statement to the BBC stating that the Maldives had expressed its opposition to the deal in two written objections and a phone call with Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy.

"These diplomatic communications articulate the government's firm position: the decision by the British government to proceed in sole consultation with Mauritius - without due consideration of Maldivian interests - is deeply concerning," reads the statement.

"Consequently, the Maldives has formally communicated that it does not recognize the transfer of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius.

The Maldives states that its position is based on the profound historical and administrative ties between the Maldives and the archipelago, as well as the significant implications any such transfer holds for Maldivian sovereignty.

"The government of the Maldives maintains the firm position that, by virtue of historical and geographical proximity, it holds a prior claim to sovereign rights over the Chagos Archipelago over any other state," the statement said.

"Accordingly, if sovereignty is to be vested in any nation, it must rightfully be the Maldives."

The Maldivian government warned it would "pursue all available avenues for a formal submission" to the ICJ and continued to "assess all lawful means to uphold the national interest".

But also said it remains hopeful that the UK will engage in meaningful dialogue “to resolve this matter in a spirit of mutual respect and historical accuracy.”

However, the British Foreign Office stated back in February that that it believes sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago to be a matter only between the UK and Mauritius.

In 2019, the ICJ ruled that Britain's 1965 separation of the Chagos Islands from Mauritius was unlawful and stated the UK must end its administration as rapidly as possible.

While non-binding, the advisory opinion carries legal weight and prompted the UN General Assembly to demand the archipelago's return to Mauritius in a near-unanimous vote in 2019.

Maldives became involved in the dispute as the country's exclusive economic zone overlaps with that of Chagos.

In April 2023, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) endorsed the advisory opinion issued by the ICJ, and concluded that the 95,563 square kilometer area between Mauritius and Maldives would be divided between the two using the equidistance formula.

The ruling granted the Maldives 47,232 square kilometers, while awarding 45,331 square kilometers to Mauritius.

President Muizzu got elected to office on the promise that he would reclaim the maritime territory the Maldives lost with the decision.