Maldives may pursue ICJ case over Chagos Islands, says Nigel Farage

The Maldives may file a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said on Wednesday.

Farage made the remarks during a debate in the UK Parliament on an agreement between the British government and Mauritius regarding the transfer of sovereignty over the Chagos Islands. Negotiations are currently under way between the United Kingdom and Mauritius, which claims the archipelago.

Farage said the Maldives was dissatisfied with the British government’s efforts to transfer ownership of the islands to Mauritius and was preparing to file a counter-claim against Mauritius at the ICJ.

He said he had visited the Maldives last week, during which he provided food and medicine to four Chagossians attempting to settle permanently on Île du Coin in the Chagos archipelago. Farage said he did not travel to the islands themselves at the request of the British government. Maldivian government officials have denied claims made in a video released by Farage on X that the British government had pressured the Maldives in relation to the visit.

Addressing Parliament, Farage said the Maldives has historical links to the Chagos Islands, including through trade and archaeology. He said the islands were originally named in the Maldivian language and later renamed by French colonisers.

“From my visit to the Maldives, it is clear that the historical links to the Chagos Islands lie with the Maldives, not Mauritius,” Farage said.

He argued that Mauritius has no historical or cultural claim to the islands and said that, if sovereignty were to be determined, it should lie with the Maldives. Farage also called on the British Parliament to pause legislative action on transferring the Chagos Islands to Mauritius until a final ruling is issued by the ICJ.

The Chagos Islands were depopulated in the 1960s and 1970s to facilitate the establishment of a US and UK military base on Diego Garcia.

On 28 April 2024, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) issued a ruling on the maritime boundary dispute between the southern coast of the Maldives and the northern coast of the Chagos archipelago. The tribunal divided the disputed area of 92,563 square kilometres, allocating 47,232 square kilometres to the Maldives and 45,331 square kilometres to Mauritius.

The ruling was criticised by the then opposition, now ruling People’s National Congress (PNC), which said the Maldives had lost part of its southern maritime zone. Reclaiming the disputed area was included as a pledge in the presidential campaign.

President Mohamed Muizzu has stated that the Maldives intends to pursue legal avenues to reclaim the area. He has also written to the British government asserting that the Chagos Islands belong to the Maldives.

In his presidential address this year, President Muizzu said he had withdrawn a letter sent by former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to the prime minister of Mauritius, which stated that the Chagos Islands belonged to Mauritius. However, Parliament has not yet taken a decision to formally withdraw the letter.