Expulsion of the Chagossians

Chagos

Location of Chagos Archipelago in the Indian Ocean

The United Kingdom, at the request of the United States, began expelling the inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago in 1968, concluding on 27 April 1973 with the expulsion of the remaining Chagossians on the Peros Banhos atoll. The removals were carried out to make way for the establishment of a UK–United States military base on Diego Garcia, following bilateral defence agreements. The inhabitants, known at the time as the Ilois, are today known as Chagos Islanders or Chagossians.

In 1965, the British government separated the Chagos Archipelago from Colony of Mauritius, creating the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).

Chagossians and human rights advocates have said that the Chagossian right of occupation was violated by the British Foreign Office as a result of the 1966 agreement between the British and American governments to provide an unpopulated island for a U.S. military base, and that further compensation and a right of return be provided.

Legal action to claim compensation and the right of abode in the Chagos began in April 1973 when 280 islanders petitioned the government of Mauritius to distribute the £650,000 compensation provided in 1973 by the British government. It did so - with interests - in 1977. The delay was due to discussions on how to use it. Finally, Mauritian Chagossians chose this sum to be directly distributed. In 1982, the British government tried to settle the case after Michel Ventacassen, a displaced Chagossian, brought a case before the High Court in London. It offered £4 millions to the Mauritian Government. It was distributed through a Trust Fund whose board included 5 elected Chagossians. The Mauritian government also added £ 1 million in land value to build low cost housing and created a development bank to help set up small industries. But it appears the British government took advantage of their poor proficiency of English to make them sign a renunciation to their claim to return.

In 2019, the International Court of Justice issued an advisory opinion stating that the UK did not have sovereignty over the Chagos Islands and that the administration of the archipelago should be handed over "as rapidly as possible" to Mauritius. The United Nations General Assembly then voted to give Britain a six-month deadline to begin the process of handing over the islands, though the resolution was not binding. In October 2024, the UK announced it would be giving up sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a deal, subject to finalising a treaty. According to the proposed deal, the military base on Diego Garcia would be leased to the British government for a period of 99 years. Some Chagossians in Britain criticised the deal for excluding the Chagossian community from the decision-making process.