U.N. Committee Urges against Chagos Islands Deal

A U.N. committee has urged Britain and Mauritius not to ratify a deal regarding the Chagos Islands, cautioning against perpetuating Chagossians' rights violations. The deal transfers sovereignty to Mauritius while Britain retains a U.S.-UK air base. Concerns include preventing Chagossians' return and ignoring past injustices.

A high-ranking U.N. committee has called on Britain and Mauritius to refrain from ratifying a controversial agreement concerning the Chagos Islands, which could extend existing violations of Chagossians' rights. The deal, concluded in May, involves shifting sovereignty to Mauritius while allowing Britain to maintain control of a significant U.S.-UK air base on Diego Garcia through a long-term lease.

The removal of around 2,000 Chagossians from the islands in the 1960s and 1970s resulted in many being displaced to Britain, with some seeking to return. The U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, meeting in Geneva, expressed worry that the arrangement bars Chagossians' return to Diego Garcia, fails to recognize past wrongs, does not compensate affected individuals completely, and risks losing the islands' cultural heritage.

A spokesperson for Britain's Foreign Office acknowledged the islands' significance to Chagossians, indicating potential resettlement in other areas and heritage visits, while Mauritius has yet to comment. The World Court previously urged the return of these islands to Mauritius, and the recent U.N. decision underscores the need for cooperation to address Chagossians' grievances.

(With inputs from agencies.)