The United Kingdom (UK) has stepped back from plans to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, after the United States (US) failed to give clear backing to the agreement.

Under the proposed deal, Britain would have transferred control of the islands but leased back a joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia, a move seen as key to maintaining Western security interests in the Indian Ocean.

But the plan has been complicated by mixed signals from Washington. US President Donald Trump, who had initially shown support, later criticised the agreement, calling it a sign of weakness.

With that uncertainty, the British government has decided to hold off for now, raising fresh questions about whether the deal will go ahead at all.

–ChannelAfrica–