Trump reportedly considers buying Chagos Islands from Mauritius

Potential proposal would secure control of Diego Garcia base amid stalled UK plans to cede sovereignty of territory

Donald Trump is reportedly weighing a plan to buy the Chagos Islands from Mauritius amid stalled plans from the UK to cede sovereignty of the territory, the Telegraph first reported .

The White House did not respond to the Guardian’s request for comment on the report about the potential plan.

Under the reported proposal, the Trump administration would sidestep UK officials and purchase the island, securing control of the US-UK Diego Garcia military base.

The island, however, would first have to be made sovereign, allowing the US to negotiate its purchase with Mauritius directly, the Telegraph reported. Previous legislation to hand the islands to Mauritius were shelved in April after the US removed its support of the deal.

Purchasing the islands is one of several proposals being considered by the US, the Telegraph reported. The latest plan was put forth by US treasury secretary Scott Bessent and brought to Trump, though it allegedly is not a leading option. Some officials in the Trump administration were concerned about giving the island to Mauritius, an ally of China, opening up the possibility of espionage, the Telegraph reported.

A delegation of Chagos refugees visiting the UK last week said the issue had been “hijacked within the halls” of UK politics.

The six-person contingent from the Chagos Refugees Group expressed their full support for the UK to conclude an agreement on the future of the islands. “The most important is our rights,” Louis Olivier Bancoult, the delegation leader, said on Friday.