Why Trump Wants UK to Keep the Chagos Islands: What to Know

The U.S. president has rebuked the British government over its decision to hand over the archipelago, home to a U.S.–UK joint military base, to Mauritius.

This image realeased by the U.S. Navy shows an aerial view of Diego Garcia. U.S. Navy via AP

President Donald Trump has once again urged the UK to maintain its sovereignty over the Chagos Islands and not hand them over to Mauritius.

The archipelago, located in the central Indian Ocean, comprises over a thousand islands, with Diego Garcia hosting a vital U.S.–UK joint military facility that London has leased to Washington until 2036.