Mauritius broke off diplomatic relations with the Maldives on February 27, 2026. This radical decision by Port Louis sanctions the Maldives’ refusal to recognize Mauritian sovereignty over Chagos and their opposition to the Mauritius-United Kingdom agreement, aimed at protecting Mauritian national interests and international law.
On February 27, 2026, the Mauritian government announced the immediate suspension of all diplomatic relations with the Republic of the Maldives, in reaction to the Maldivian decision to no longer recognize the sovereignty of Mauritius over the Chagos archipelago. In the background, the agreement concluded between Port-Louis and London rekindles tensions around this strategic territory in the Indian Ocean. For the Mauritian government, it is above all a matter of defending its national interests and ensuring respect for international law, a principle at the heart of African claims to colonial heritage.
“ The severance of diplomatic relations between Mauritius and the Maldives has the consequence of depriving each island of a first-rate economic partner, but above all of breaking the peace which reigned in this region of the Indian Ocean, a region which constitutes a first-rate maritime route and whose peaceful relations between the different islands and archipelagos constitute a condition for the fluidity of maritime trade on this route.«Â
TOMORROW KERWIN, Political analyst – RD Congo
At the same time, the Mauritian Council of Ministers is concerned about the delay in the British legislative process concerning the bill relating to the Diego Garcia military base and the British Indian Ocean Territory. The Mauritian authorities recall that the application of this text depends on an agreement between the United Kingdom and the United States, two major players in this highly strategic area. For Mauritius, the Chagos issue goes beyond the bilateral framework: it involves regional stability and the full recognition of its sovereignty.
“As long as British justice, which gives the impression of obeying much more the agenda of a third country, the United States, does not take a rapid decision on these cases. It is the people from the island of Chagos who will continue to live in the temporary, a temporary which has already lasted for several decades.«Â
TOMORROW KERWIN, Political analyst – RD Congo
On the legal level, the case is also experiencing a new twist. Requested by the “BIOT Citizens” collective, the Court of Administration of the British Indian Ocean Territory postponed until March 13, 2026 the suspension of the expulsion order targeting certain residents. Pending examination of the merits of the case, the court has prohibited any further transfer to the Chagos Islands. A provisional decision, but fraught with human and political issues, which keeps the Chagossian issue at the center of concerns, well beyond the Mauritian borders.
