Mauritius has stated that it has not been approached by the US, directly or indirectly, regarding a reported proposal to purchase the Chagos Islands. The statement follows a report in the British newspaper The Telegraph that the White House was drafting options to provide an alternative to a British plan to cede sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius. Port Louis affirmed its sovereignty over the islands, which it called non-negotiable. Britain put its own deal on hold in April after President Trump criticized it as a mistake. Under the shelved agreement, the United Kingdom would have transferred sovereignty while paying Mauritius roughly $135 million annually to retain access to the Diego Garcia military base.
CNBC Africa
