ISTANBUL
A UN committee on the elimination of racial discrimination has urged the UK and Mauritius to respect the right of displaced Chagossians to return to their ancestral home on Diego Garcia Island, the largest of the Chagos Archipelago.
The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) called on the British and Mauritian governments to suspend the ratification of a deal on the Chagos Islands’ sovereignty, according to a statement released on Monday.
In May, the UK and Mauritius signed a deal transferring the sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while allowing the US and UK to operate the strategic Diego Garcia military base for 99 years with a 40-year extension option, though the agreement has not yet entered into force pending domestic ratification.
The CERD expressed concern that while the bilateral agreement allows Mauritius to resettle Chagossians on other islands, it “explicitly prevents” their return to their ancestral lands in Diego Garcia Island.
It said the deal blocks Chagossians from returning to their cultural and spiritual sites, and from exercising and preserving their cultural rights.
The committee said Chagossians were not consulted or included in decision-making affecting their rights and lands.
It added that the agreement fails to guarantee full reparations, including the right to return to Diego Garcia, compensation, or formal recognition of past harms.
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.