As the Chagos Islands Deal Gets Worse and Worse, Why the Maldives Cannot Be Ignored

In response to Eliot Wilson’s article, “The Chagos Islands deal just gets worse and worse” (14 August 2025, The Spectator).

Eliot Wilson looks closely at the UK-Mauritius deal about the Chagos Archipelago. He poses important questions, some of which we can’t ignore. Wilson discusses how unusual it is to give away islands more than 1,250 miles from Mauritius. He points out that there’s no real bond between Mauritius & Chagos, except that they were both once run by Britain and France. Wilson’s article shows how the economics don’t make sense. Furthermore, he highlights the concerning trend of using international law as a tool for politics.

Still, there’s a big missing piece in this story: the Maldives.

Chagos and Geography: Closer to Malé than Port Louis
Wilson discusses the distance from Mauritius to the Chagos. This isn’t a small thing. The Chagos Islands do not belong to Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Chagos sits just under the Maldives. It has always been integral to Maldivian trade, travel, & culture. But Mauritius? It sits far, down south-west, a whole different place, worlds away in both history & geography.

So, it’s not just that Mauritius is far away; it’s that the Chagos Islands are close to the Maldives. Chagos used to be part of the Maldives. Only when the British ruled did they tear them apart.

The Political Shift: UK and US Interests in Transition
Wilson writes about the UK’s sudden decision. After years of fighting over Sovereignty, they have now just given up. The ICJ made a statement in 2019, and subsequently, so did ITLOS. These rulings weren’t law, just advice. Still, people said it was a settled fact. The UK didn’t fight at the UN’s C-24 group. They just gave in.

But what’s the reason? The answer is: politics. The UK wants to appear as though it’s helping with decolonisation, but also wants to retain the US Army base at Diego Garcia. This keeps London and Washington happy. But it throws the headache to Mauritius.

But here’s where things go wrong: the Maldives isn’t even part of the talk. That’s a problem. It’s not right for history, and it makes no sense from a strategic perspective. The Maldives has helped out the West in the Indian Ocean. It’s even backed the UK at the UN. Sometimes that’s not easy. But now, it gets ignored.

International Law: Decolonisation by a Sleight of Hand
Wilson says the deal is based on “bogus and nebulous grounds of decolonisation.” That’s a strong way to put it, but it’s fair. The UN has a clear path: matters are processed through the UN General Assembly & its Decolonisation Committee. Instead, the ICJ opinion, just an opinion! – was treated like a real order. This left out the Maldives.

This is critical. When Britain severed the Chagos Islands from the Maldives in 1965, it violated UNGA Resolution 1514 (XV). Colonies weren’t supposed to be split before independence. This wasn’t just unfair to Mauritius, but also to the Maldives. The Maldives had ruled Chagos way before colonial times.

So, giving everything to Mauritius isn’t just silly when it comes to money (like Wilson says). It’s also incorrect in terms of the rules.

Strategic Consequences: Undermining Allies, Rewarding Opportunism
For the UK and the US, this is a risky move. You turn your back on the Maldives, your steady friend, while helping Mauritius, which barely considered Chagos as its own until recently.

That matters in real life. By ignoring the Maldives and what it owes, Britain & America could lose a frontline partner in the Indian Ocean, especially now, when China is looking for new friends. Giving Chagos to Mauritius doesn’t help the West. It’s a gamble. You lose trust in a partner you need.

A Way Forward: Including the Maldives in the Debate
Wilson says Parliament should vote down the bill & rethink the whole thing. Right. But that’s not enough. If you want an honest answer about Chagos, you can’t just pretend Mauritius has run it all along. Face the truth: Chagos was part of the Maldives.

The UK, the US, and anyone who cares should send the question back where it belongs: to the UN’s decolonisation process. Everyone with a claim, including the Maldives, must have a say. Only then will decolonisation be fair & honest.

Issued By Research Desk, International Law & Decolonisation
Maldivians for Chagos