The initial agreement, which was made public in October, called for the UK to give Mauritius sovereignty over the archipelago in exchange for a 99-year lease on Diego Garcia, which is home to a significant military airbase between the US and the UK.
It was finalized just before an election in which Pravind Jugnauth, the prime minister at the time, was soundly defeated.
Since then, his successor, Navin Ramgoolam, has expressed his hesitancy about the agreement, which has also drawn criticism from members of the incoming Trump administration and the UK’s opposition Conservative party.
Following years of negotiations, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Jugnauth referred to the agreement as a “seminal moment in our relationship and a demonstration of our enduring commitment to the peaceful resolution” when it was first made public.
