UN Warns UK–Mauritius Deal Risks Violating Chagossians’ Rights and Blocking Return

The Chagos Archipelago, located in the Indian Ocean, was unlawfully detached from Mauritius in 1965 during its decolonisation process.

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has raised serious alarm over a new bilateral agreement between the United Kingdom and Mauritius, warning that the deal—intended to resolve the status of the Chagos Archipelago—may instead entrench decades-long human rights violations against the Chagossian people.

Signed on 22 May 2025, the agreement outlines the transfer of sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago from the UK to Mauritius. Despite being framed as an implementation of international legal decisions, CERD cautions that the current terms could block the Chagossians’ right to return, violate their cultural rights, and marginalize them further.

A History of Displacement and Denial

The Chagos Archipelago, located in the Indian Ocean, was unlawfully detached from Mauritius in 1965 during its decolonisation process. Soon after, the entire Chagossian population—an Indigenous community of African and South Asian heritage—was forcibly removed to make way for the construction of a US-UK military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago.

For over five decades, Chagossians have lived in displacement across Mauritius, Seychelles and the United Kingdom, repeatedly demanding the right to return to their homeland.

In 2019, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an Advisory Opinion declaring that:

• The UK’s continued administration of the islands violated the right to self-determination.

• The UK must end its control “as rapidly as possible.”

Following this, the UN General Assembly endorsed the ICJ opinion and called for the islands’ return to Mauritius and for the resettlement of displaced Chagossians.

New Agreement Raises Deep Concerns

While the 2025 agreement is promoted as a step toward justice, CERD warns that several key provisions may further entrench discrimination:

1. A 99-year UK Lease on Diego Garcia

The agreement would allow Mauritius to lease Diego Garcia to the United Kingdom for 99 years, with a possible 40-year extension. The Committee warns that this arrangement:

• Ensures continued military control of the island

• Prevents Chagossians from returning to their most culturally significant ancestral land

2. Explicit Ban on Chagossian Return to Diego Garcia

CERD stressed that the text of the agreement directly prohibits Chagossians from resettling Diego Garcia, even while permitting return to smaller islands. This, it said, violates:

• The community’s right to return

• Their cultural rights, including maintaining their heritage linked to the land and sea

• Their identity as a people

3. Lack of Adequate Consultation

Reports indicate that Chagossian communities were not meaningfully consulted during negotiations. CERD warned that:

“The absence of free, prior and informed consent directly affects their rights and restricts the exercise of their self-determination.”

4. Absence of Reparations

The Committee expressed concern that the agreement fails to include:

• Restitution

• Compensation

• Rehabilitation

• Satisfaction or guarantees of non-repetition

• Formal acknowledgment of past injustices

This omission ignores decades of suffering caused by forced removal, loss of homeland, social marginalization and intergenerational trauma.

UN Calls for Suspension of the Agreement

In a decision issued under CERD’s early warning and urgent action procedures, the Committee urged:

• Mauritius and the UK to suspend ratification

• Immediate renewed dialogue with Chagossian communities

• Full respect for the right to self-determination

• Guarantees that the Chagossians can return to Diego Garcia

• Access to effective remedies and comprehensive reparations

The Committee also reminded both governments of their obligations under:

• The International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination

• The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)

• The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)

A Turning Point for Decolonization and Indigenous Rights

Human rights advocates say the agreement could determine the future of one of the world’s longest-standing colonial disputes. The Chagossian people, now scattered across continents, continue to demand justice, restoration of their rights, and recognition of their identity.

For CERD, any solution to the archipelago’s status must centre the people who were forcibly removed—not future geopolitical or military arrangements.