Chagos Islands Dispute: UK PM Urged to Cut Aid to Mauritius

The British Prime Minister is being urged to halt foreign aid to Mauritius amid a dispute over the Chagos Islands.

The situation revolves around the Anglo-American military base located on Diego Garcia, with a prominent think tank accusing the Mauritian government of using aggressive tactics to lay claim to territory held by the UK.

Policy Exchange, the center-right think tank, is calling for aid payments to be suspended and for relations to be reduced in response to these tactics.

Mauritius has responded by passing legislation that criminalizes any reference to the Chagos Islands as British, a move that Policy Exchange warns puts ministers and MPs at potential risk.

The Guardian cites former Secretary of State for Justice, Sir Robert Buckland, who compares this legislation to oppressive security laws implemented by China in Hong Kong.

Dr. Yuan Yi Zhu of Leiden University suggests limiting foreign aid payments and higher-level contacts between the UK and Mauritius in regard to discussions on Chagos Islands sovereignty.

The government is currently negotiating the handover of the territory, but two senior Cabinet ministers are pushing to suspend the process:

Grant Shapps, the Secretary of Defense, and David Cameron, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

Source: Defi Media