Reuters. Britain was temporarily blocked from concluding a deal on the Chagos Islands with Mauritius on Thursday (May 22) after an eleventh-hour injunction by a London High Court judge, postponing an agreement aimed at securing the future of the U.S.-UK Diego Garcia air base.
Britain had been set to sign the multi-billion dollar deal to cede sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius on Thursday, but in the early hours of the morning an injunction was granted by the High Court, forcing the government to abandon the announcement.
The deal, the details of which were first announced in October, would allow Britain to retain control of the strategically important base on Diego Garcia, the largest island of the archipelago in the Indian Ocean, under a 99-year lease.
The last-minute injunction was granted following action by Bernadette Dugasse and Bertrice Pompe, both British nationals who were born in Diego Garcia. They have criticized the deal for excluding Chagossians in any communication.