- UK to return Chagos Islands to Mauritius
- Expulsion of Chagossians deemed a “crime against humanity”
- International courts ruled in favor of Mauritius
The United Kingdom has agreed to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, putting an end to a long-running dispute over Britain’s last African colony. The UK expelled the Chagossians during the 1960s and 1970s, an act considered a “crime against humanity,” while retaining control of the islands as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) after Mauritius gained independence in 1968.
This agreement comes after several rounds of negotiations, starting in 2022, following international recognition of Mauritius’ claim to sovereignty. Both the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN General Assembly, and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea ruled in favor of Mauritius in 2019 and 2021.
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The UK was found to have unlawfully separated the Chagos Islands from Mauritius prior to granting independence. Despite initially rejecting UN votes and court rulings, calling the ICJ’s decision an “advisory opinion,” the UK has now agreed to return the islands. An attempt to block the negotiations, citing the lack of consultation with the displaced Chagossians, was unsuccessful.
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