Nigel Farage tells UK Parliament Maldives is preparing to file a case with the international court to claim sovereignty over Chagos
Speaking in the British Parliament, Nigel Farage asserted that the Chagos Islands share deep historical and cultural ties with the Maldives, arguing that the ongoing process to transfer sovereignty to Mauritius must be halted. Furthermore, he alleged that the British government pressured the Maldivian authorities to obstruct his planned visit to the archipelago.
A screen capture of a video recorded by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage during his stay in the Maldives. | Social Media | Social Media
Nigel Farage has stated that the Maldives is preparing to file a counter-claim at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands "within the next few days."
The leader of the UK’s Reform Party has alleged in a video posted to X (formerly Twitter) following a visit to the Maldives last weekend that the British government prevented him from traveling to the Chagos Islands.
Speaking at Wednesday’s House of Commons session, Nigel Farage stated that the Maldives is expressing "dissatisfaction" over the British government's decision to hand over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. The UK government maintains that the agreement aims to secure the continued operation of the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia for at least 99 years, while also facilitating the return of Chagos Islanders to the archipelago's other islands.
Farage stated, "I would like to share a discovery from my trip to the Maldives last weekend. This was something I was previously unaware of, and I am not certain if the British government is aware of it either."
The Chagos Islands share deep historical ties with the Maldives, evident through both commercial links and archaeological heritage. In reality, the French merely renamed the islands, which originally bore names in the Dhivehi language.
Whether viewed through a historical, cultural, or any other lens, Mauritius lacks any legitimate basis to claim sovereignty over those islands.
"I would also like to inform the government that I believe the Maldives will file a counter-claim at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) within the coming days. This claim will assert that the rightful sovereign authority over those islands is not Mauritius, but rather the Maldives."
"Therefore, I urge for all ongoing activities to be suspended immediately."
The leader of the Reform Party stated on Saturday that he traveled to the Maldives to join a delegation providing "humanitarian aid" to Chagos islanders seeking to resettle in the archipelago. Writing on X, he noted, "The British government has prohibited me from entering the Chagos Islands."
In the video accompanying the post, he stated, "The British government is pressuring the President and the Maldivian government to exercise all their powers to prevent me from boarding the vessel and traveling to Chagos." Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer has characterized the move as a "blatant disregard for travel advisories."
Responding to Farage in the House of Commons, the Minister said, "I would like to remind him that even if he were to show up at a sensitive military site, such as RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, wielding a selfie stick, he would be turned away from there as well."
