New York, October 4, 2024 — The United Kingdom announced today it has agreed to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. This agreement effectively ends decades of negotiations and disputes over Britain’s last African colony.
The agreement follows 13 rounds of discussions that began in 2022. These discussions were spurred by calls from Mauritius for recognition of its sovereignty. Rulings from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) supported these calls, as did decisions from the UN General Assembly in 2019 and 2021.
The ICJ, the principal judicial body of the United Nations, resolves disputes between nations and provided an advisory opinion urging the UK to return the islands to Mauritius.
Historically, Britain separated the Chagos Islands from Mauritius prior to granting the latter independence in 1968, establishing the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) in the process. The UK initially resisted UN resolutions and court rulings demanding the return of the islands, claiming that the ICJ’s ruling was merely advisory.
Displacement of Islanders
The separation of the islands led to the forced displacement of between 1,500 and 2,000 Chagossians, enabling the UK to lease Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago, to the United States for military purposes. The UK and US have since operated the base jointly.
The UK falsely claimed that the Chagos Islands had no permanent population. This was done to avoid reporting its colonial governance to the UN. In reality, the Chagossian community had inhabited the islands for centuries.
From 1967 to 1973, the UK and US governments forcibly displaced the Chagossians. This displacement occurred not only from Diego Garcia but also from Peros Banhos and Salomon.
A significant moment in the campaign for sovereignty occurred in February 2022 when Mauritian ambassador to the UN, Jagdish Koonjul, raised his country’s flag above Peros Banhos, marking Mauritius’ first expedition to the territory since the expulsions.
Details of the Agreement
Under the terms of Thursday’s agreement, the UK will maintain control of the US military base on Diego Garcia. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy emphasized that the agreement secures the future of the military base and reinforces the long-term relationship between the UK and Mauritius, described as a close Commonwealth partner.
However, the announcement has sparked frustration among many Chagossians, who feel excluded from the negotiations. Chagossian Voices, a community organization representing the Chagossian diaspora, condemned the lack of consultation, stating that the community has been “powerless and voiceless” in determining their future.
“The views of Chagossians, the Indigenous inhabitants of the islands, have been consistently and deliberately ignored,” they stated, calling for full inclusion in the treaty’s drafting process.
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