The newly elected prime minister of Mauritius has ordered an independent review of his predecessor’s provisional deal with the UK over the future of the Chagos Islands.
Navin Ramgoolam, who came to power earlier this month, has previously been critical of the confidential agreement, which is yet to be ratified.
He reportedly expressed continued reservations after a meeting with the UK’s national security adviser Jonathan Powell on Monday over the islands, also known as the British Indian Ocean Territory.
Under the reported terms of the draft deal, the UK will hand over sovereignty of the archipelago to Mauritius, except for the largest of the islands, Diego Garcia, which will remain under British control for at least the next 99 years.
The island is home to a strategic military base used by the UK and the US. It was built following the controversial forced expulsion of around 2,000 Chagossians who were living there in the 1960s and 1970s.
Mr Ramgoolam said his cabinet would consider the outcome of the review before deciding what to do next.
He has previously expressed concerns that the details of the agreement had not been made public and one of his ministers suggested the UK could end up in control of Diego Garcia and its base for at least 200 years, rather than 99 years, under the deal.
It comes following speculation that Donald Trump may attempt to block the deal when he becomes US president in January.
While current president Joe Biden and other White House officials have backed the agreement, some American politicians fear it could threaten US security if Mauritius becomes more closely aligned with China, which has invested heavily in the country.
Critics include Republican Marco Rubio, who is Mr Trump’s pick for secretary of state.
However, Downing Street has said it is confident the deal will go ahead, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hoping to soon ratify the agreement.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy also said earlier this week he thought it would be approved, and added the government was happy to give the new administration in Mauritius time to examine the details.
The provisional agreement was made last month – just before the Mauritian election – following years of negotiations.
However, many exiled Chagossians say they were not involved in the talks and consequently could not endorse the deal.
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Olivier Bancoult, from the Chagos Refugees Group, said he hoped the review would be completed quickly.
He added: “There is a need to correct injustice inflicted on the Chagossian population.”
