GENEVA
UN experts on Tuesday called for the suspension of a recently signed agreement between the UK and Mauritius, warning that it fails to safeguard the rights of the displaced Chagossian people.
The bilateral deal, signed on May 22, transfers sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia, to Mauritius, marking a formal step toward completing the country's decolonization. But UN experts said the agreement lacks guarantees for the Chagossians' right to return, effective remedy, and cultural protections.
"By maintaining a foreign military presence of the United Kingdom and the United States on Diego Garcia and preventing the Chagossian people from returning… the agreement appears to be at variance with the Chagossians' right to return," the experts said in a statement.
They also questioned whether the proposed £40 million (over $54 million) Trust Fund would meet standards for "effective remedy and adequate, effective, and prompt reparation," as the agreement currently omits restitution, satisfaction, and guarantees of non-repetition.
The experts criticized the absence of provisions enabling access to cultural sites or safeguarding the Chagossians' heritage. They urged both governments to renegotiate the deal, saying: "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."
The experts had earlier raised concerns about the lack of Chagossian participation in decision-making.
"We are gravely concerned about the lack of meaningful participation… in processes that have led to the agreement," they said.
The deal transfers sovereignty of the Chagos Islands from the UK to Mauritius, while allowing continued US-UK operation of the Diego Garcia military base for the next 99 years.
In the early 19th century, Britain took over the islands after the surrender of the French forces.
Mauritius and its dependencies, including the Chagos Islands, were officially proclaimed a colony of Britain in 1814 under the Treaty of Paris.
The Chagos Archipelago was separated from Mauritius in 1965 by the UK.
