PORT LOUIS: Mauritius responded on Tuesday to US President Donald Trump’s criticism over a deal with Britain granting it sovereignty over the strategic Chagos Islands, saying the issue was no longer up for debate.

“The sovereignty of the Republic of Mauritius over the Chagos archipelago is already recognised without ambiguity under international law and should no longer be a subject for debate,” said Mauritian Attorney General Gavin Glover in a statement.

The Chagos agreement will see Britain hand the archipelago — some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles) northeast of Mauritius — to its former colony and pay to lease the US-UK military base there for a century.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2026