UK signs pirate transfer agreement with Mauritius

(BRUSSELS2) The Prime Minister of Mauritius is due to sign, in London, this weekend, a memorandum of understanding with the United Kingdom allowing the transfer of suspects arrested by the British Navy in the island of the Ocean Indian (*). The government has already signed an identical agreement with the European Union.

But this agreement only applies to suspects handed over by the European forces of Eunavfor. However, despite its participation in the operation, by making the Northwood operations center available, the United Kingdom is not making ships available to the EU but rather to NATO or CTF 151 (coalition supported by the Americans), which does not allow it to benefit from the global agreement. The same applies when its ships operate under the national flag alone.

First trial in September

The European Union is committed to a program of 3 million euros to support the commitment of Mauritius in the fight against piracy. It has thus renovated a special wing in the island prison (in Petit-Verger) and trained staff. The first trial of pirates should open in September, the Court being presided over by Prithiviraj Fekna, the current President of the Court of Assizes, as our Mauritian colleague recently clarified. express.

(*) This meeting will also aim to discuss the dispute over the Chagos Archipelago. Mauritius is contesting British sovereignty over this archipelago and in particular the decision to create a marine natural park in the 200-mile zone around this archipelago. The government has thus lodged a complaint before the international tribunal for the law of the sea. And the parties normally have until the end of July to submit their arguments. Among these the fact that the American military base of Chagos is excluded from this marine park.