Historic vote paves the way for Chagos Islands' return to Mauritius

The long-standing issue of the Chagos Islands has taken a significant turn this week, as the British House of Commons voted in favor of a bill supporting the retrocession of the archipelago to Mauritius.

On September 9, 2025, the legislation passed with a vote of 330 to 174. This bill affirms Mauritian sovereignty over the islands while allowing for Diego Garcia to remain under a 99-year Anglo-American military lease. In addition, it promises substantial financial support to both the Mauritian government and the Chagossian community.

Chagossians residing in Mauritius are expressing a renewed sense of hope regarding their dream of returning to their ancestral lands.

The drive for Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos Islands is rooted in a painful history. In 1965, just three years before Mauritius gained independence, the British government detached the Chagos from Mauritian territory at the request of Washington. The inhabitants were subsequently evacuated and relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles, where they have waited for decades for the chance to return to their homeland.

One of the last remnants of the British Empire, the Chagos Islands have been under U.K. control since 1814. Britain split the islands away from Mauritius, a former British colony, in 1965, three years before Mauritius gained independence.

Under the May agreement, the U.K. will pay Mauritius an average of £ 101 million ($136 million) per year to lease back the base for at least 99 years. It establishes a trust fund to benefit the Chagossians and states, "Mauritius is free to implement a program of resettlement" on the islands, except for Diego Garcia.

However, the deal does not require the residents to be resettled, and some displaced islanders fear it will be even harder to return to their place of birth after Mauritius takes control.