Latest news with #Chagossians'
Mail & Guardian
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Mail & Guardian
Chagos Archipelago residents deserve reparations, not regrets
The Chagossian people remain forcibly and criminally displaced from their homeland. Photo: Andrew Winning/Reuters The agreement between the United Kingdom and Mauritius over the Chagos Archipelago, has been described by its prime minister as a 'victory for international law, for postcolonial justice and above all, for the Chagossian people'. But is it? Implementing international law in situations of colonial atrocities means more than resolution of territorial disputes; it means delivering justice and reparations to affected peoples. The Chagossian people remain forcibly and criminally displaced from their homeland. All governments, including South Africa, need to ensure that the UK, United States and Mauritius address that legacy and respect their rights and voices. The UK and US forcibly displaced the entire Chagossian people, more than 50 years ago, to build a US military base on Diego Garcia island, which remained a UK colony. This exile, based on UK and US officials' documented racism and lies denying the existence of the Chagossians, is a colonial crime against humanity that will continue as long as they are prevented from returning home. The new treaty, which recognises Mauritius's sovereignty over the islands, looks unlikely to end this crime. Some Chagossians have welcomed the treaty, seeing it as a key step in their decades-long struggle to return to their homeland. Its preamble refers to 'wrongs of the past' and both governments pledge to support 'the welfare of all Chagossians'. The text of the treaty suggests that Chagossians could return to all islands in the archipelago, except for Diego Garcia, the largest island and many people's homeland. But the details of the treaty guarantee little for the Chagossian people, including their right to return. This agreement risks not repairing the harm but perpetuating it. The International Court of Justice (ICJ), in its landmark 2019 advisory opinion, held that the UK's continued administration of the Chagos Archipelago was unlawful. Crucially, the ICJ recognised the forced removal of the Chagossians as a major injustice. This treaty is supposed to implement this opinion. Yet the Chagossians' rights barely feature in the treaty. There is no recognition of them as the Indigenous people of the islands, no reference to the right of return and no guarantee of their participation in future governance or management of finances. Resettlement is limited to the outer islands, excluding Diego Garcia. The treaty addresses sovereignty, territory and military interests but says very little about human rights and accountability. This is reflected in the lack of financial compensation for the Chagossians. The UK has pledged annual payments to Mauritius for the continued operation of the base and 'development projects'. These figures would total at least £10 billion [R234 billion] across the 99-year lifetime of the deal. In contrast, the treaty says that Chagossians will receive a one-off payment of £40 million — the same amount offered by the UK a decade ago, when it ruled out any right of return. There's no explanation, consultation or guarantee that the funds will support resettlement. To put it starkly: £40 million is less than 0.5% of the total financial arrangement. It is not reparations. It is a footnote. The right to return to one's homeland is a basic principle of international law. But the treaty deliberately excludes Diego Garcia from resettlement — effectively entrenching the crime of forced displacement. The treaty also appears to give the UK a veto over development anywhere in the islands, which could block any effort to rebuild communities. The UK and Mauritius should, at a minimum, make a clear and public declaration recognising the Chagossians' right of return and guaranteeing their involvement in rebuilding their homeland. The US and UK should prioritise their employment at the Diego Garcia base and support their return through infrastructure and economic investment. Despite vague references to implementing the treaty 'in accordance with international law', there is no express acknowledgment that binding human rights treaties or the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court will apply in Chagos. This is particularly troubling, as Diego Garcia has long been a legal black hole — shielded from scrutiny over abuses such as torture. This treaty is not the end of the story. It is a test — not only of the UK's willingness to reckon with its colonial legacy but of the international community's commitment to justice and reparations for colonial crimes. The ICJ said the resettlement of the Chagossian people was the responsibility of the UN General Assembly. South Africa, the Caribbean nations, and other leaders of the global anti-colonial struggle, should take a stand there. They need to ensure that this implementation of the ICJ ruling on decolonisation also ensures the right of return of Chagossians to their homeland and reparations for the harm the UK and US have inflicted on them. Symbolic regret on its own is not justice. It is time for action — and for the Chagossians to return home. Clive Baldwin is a senior legal adviser, and Allan Ngari is the African advocacy director, at Human Rights Watch.
Scoop
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Agreement Between Mauritius And The UK Fails To Guarantee Rights Of Chagossians Say UN Experts
Geneva,10 June 2025 The recently signed agreement between the United Kingdom and Mauritius fails to guarantee and protect the rights of the Chagossian people, including their right to return to Diego Garcia, effective remedy and reparations and their cultural rights, UN experts* said today. On 22 May 2025, the United Kingdom and Mauritius signed a bilateral agreement to return sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia, to Mauritius to complete the decolonisation of Mauritius following years of negotiations and international pressure, including from the International Court of Justice and the General Assembly. 'By maintaining a foreign military presence of the United Kingdom and the United States on Diego Garcia and preventing the Chagossian people from returning to Diego Garcia, the agreement appears to be at variance with the Chagossians' right to return, which also hinders their ability to exercise their cultural rights in accessing their ancestral lands from which they were expelled,' the experts said. They raised serious questions about whether the foreseen £40 million Trust Fund, which remains subject to yet-to-be adopted regulations, would comply with the right of the Chagossian people to effective remedy and adequate, effective, and prompt reparation, including restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction, and guarantees of non-repetition. Most notably, the current agreement contains no provisions providing for the full panoply of the right to adequate and effective reparations as it does not provide restitution, satisfaction, and guarantees of non-repetition, the experts noted. The agreement also lacks provisions to facilitate the Chagossian people's access to cultural sites on Diego Garcia and protect and conserve their unique cultural heritage. 'In light of these significant concerns, we call for the ratification of the agreement to be suspended and for a new agreement to be negotiated that fully guarantees the rights of the Chagossian people to return to all islands of the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia. This includes their right to adequate and effective remedy and reparations, including restitution, satisfaction, and guarantees of non-repetition, as well as their cultural rights,' the experts said. The experts had previously raised concerns about continuous forced displacement of the Chagossian people and lack of their effective participation in decision-making processes concerning negotiations over the Chagos Archipelago, in letters to the governments of Mauritius and the United Kingdom on 21 February 2023 as well as through a press release on 10 October 2024. 'We are gravely concerned about the lack of meaningful participation of Chagossians in processes that have led to the agreement,' the experts said. They urged the Governments of the United Kingdom and Mauritius to apply a human rights-based approach in addressing historical injustices against the Chagossian people. The experts are in touch with the United Kingdom and Mauritius regarding these issues. *The experts: Nicolas Levrat, Special Rapporteur on minority issues; K.P. Ashwini, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance; Bernard Duhaime, Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, and Bina D'Costa, Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Scrap Chagos Islands deal and agree new one, UN panel urges UK
A UN panel has urged the UK to renegotiate a deal returning the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, saying it "fails to guarantee" the rights of the Chagossian people. The deal, signed last month, returned sovereignty of the Indian Ocean archipelago to Mauritius, but the UK retained the right to run a military base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the Chagos Islands. By preventing the Chagossian people from returning to Diego Garcia, "the agreement appears to be at variance with the Chagossians' right to return," the UN experts wrote. A Foreign Office spokesperson said the UK-Mauritius deal had been "welcomed by international organisations including the UN secretary general". The panel of four experts were appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, but are not UN staff and are independent from the UN. They said by the UK keeping the military base of Diego Garcia, the Chagossian people were hindered from being able to "exercise their cultural rights in accessing their ancestral lands from which they were expelled". The panel called for the current deal to be suspended and for a new agreement to be negotiated. Under the agreement, the UK would pay an average of £101m a year for 99 years to continue operating the military base on Diego Garcia, in concert with the US. The Chagos Islands are located in the Indian Ocean about 5,799 miles (9,332km) south-east of the UK, and about 1,250 miles north-east of Mauritius. The UK purchased the islands for £3m in 1968, but Mauritius has argued it was illegally forced to give away the islands in order to gain independence from Britain. Diego Garcia was then cleared to make way for a military base, with large groups of Chagossians forcibly moved to Mauritius and the Seychelles, or taking up an invitation to settle in England, mainly in Crawley, West Sussex. Since then, Chagossians have not been allowed to return to Diego Garcia. Before the UK-Mauritius deal was signed last month, two Chagossian women living in the UK - who were born on Diego Garcia - launched a last-minute legal bid to stop it, saying the agreement did not guarantee the right of return to their island of birth. What is the Chagos Islands deal between UK and Mauritius? The deal includes a £40m trust fund to support Chagossians, a component that the UN panel also questioned would "comply with the right of the Chagossian people to effective remedy... and prompt reparation". "The agreement also lacks provisions to facilitate the Chagossian people's access to cultural sites on Diego Garcia and protect and conserve their unique cultural heritage," the panel added. The Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We recognise the importance of the islands to Chagossians and have worked to ensure the agreement reflects this." Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel said the Conservatives "have been warning from the start that this deal is bad for British taxpayers and bad for the Chagossian people". "It is why I have introduced a bill in Parliament that would block the [agreement] and force the government to speak to the people at the heart of their surrender plans," she said. Both the House of Commons and House of Lords have until 3 July to pass a resolution to oppose the deal being ratified. What I found on the secretive tropical island they don't want you to see
South Wales Guardian
10-06-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Guardian
UN urges UK to negotiate new Chagos deal that allows islanders to return
The deal, agreed last month after long-running negotiations, returns sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius, but will see the UK lease back a military base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands. But a panel of experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council said retaining the base and continuing to bar Chagossians from Diego Garcia 'appears to be at variance with the Chagossians' right to return'. The Chagossians were expelled from the islands between 1965 and 1973 to make way for the joint UK-US base and have not been allowed to return. Although the UK-Mauritius deal includes a £40 million trust fund for the benefit of the Chagossians, the UN experts expressed concern that this would not provide an 'effective remedy' for the islanders. They also criticised an apparent lack of consultation of the islanders prior to the deal, saying: 'We are gravely concerned about the lack of meaningful participation of Chagossians in processes that have led to the agreement.' The experts added: 'In light of these significant concerns, we call for the ratification of the agreement to be suspended and for a new agreement to be negotiated that fully guarantees the rights of the Chagossian people to return to all islands of the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia.' Conservative shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel urged the Government to 'do the right thing (and) stop this'. She said: 'We have been warning from the start that this deal is bad for British taxpayers and bad for the Chagossian people. 'Now even the United Nations is saying the very same. 'Labour has completely ignored this community from the get-go, and failed to consult with them at every step of the way. 'It is why I have introduced a Bill in Parliament that would block the (agreement) and force the Government to speak to the people at the heart of their surrender plans.' The deal follows a 2019 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice saying the islands should be handed over to Mauritius. As well as the fund for Chagossians, the UK has agreed to pay at least £120 million a year for 99 years in order to lease back the Diego Garcia base – a total cost of at least £13 billion in cash terms. The deal also includes provisions preventing development on the rest of the archipelago without the UK's consent, which the Government has argued will prevent countries such as China setting up their own facilities. The agreement has also been backed by the United States. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has been contacted for comment.
Rhyl Journal
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Rhyl Journal
UN urges UK to negotiate new Chagos deal that allows islanders to return
The deal, agreed last month after long-running negotiations, returns sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius, but will see the UK lease back a military base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands. But a panel of experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council said retaining the base and continuing to bar Chagossians from Diego Garcia 'appears to be at variance with the Chagossians' right to return'. The Chagossians were expelled from the islands between 1965 and 1973 to make way for the joint UK-US base and have not been allowed to return. Although the UK-Mauritius deal includes a £40 million trust fund for the benefit of the Chagossians, the UN experts expressed concern that this would not provide an 'effective remedy' for the islanders. They also criticised an apparent lack of consultation of the islanders prior to the deal, saying: 'We are gravely concerned about the lack of meaningful participation of Chagossians in processes that have led to the agreement.' The experts added: 'In light of these significant concerns, we call for the ratification of the agreement to be suspended and for a new agreement to be negotiated that fully guarantees the rights of the Chagossian people to return to all islands of the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia.' Conservative shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel urged the Government to 'do the right thing (and) stop this'. She said: 'We have been warning from the start that this deal is bad for British taxpayers and bad for the Chagossian people. 'Now even the United Nations is saying the very same. 'Labour has completely ignored this community from the get-go, and failed to consult with them at every step of the way. 'It is why I have introduced a Bill in Parliament that would block the (agreement) and force the Government to speak to the people at the heart of their surrender plans.' The deal follows a 2019 advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice saying the islands should be handed over to Mauritius. As well as the fund for Chagossians, the UK has agreed to pay at least £120 million a year for 99 years in order to lease back the Diego Garcia base – a total cost of at least £13 billion in cash terms. The deal also includes provisions preventing development on the rest of the archipelago without the UK's consent, which the Government has argued will prevent countries such as China setting up their own facilities. The agreement has also been backed by the United States. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has been contacted for comment.
