#the chagos islands

[arabella-strange]

u/deet0109:

Now that the UK has agreed to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, the sun will finally set on the British Empire for the first time in centuries

[full news story from the Guardian here, 3 Oct 2024]

[mapsontheweb]

Now that the UK has agreed to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, the sun will finally set on the British Empire for the first time in centuries

[luimnigh]

I was reading an article yesterday on Argentina demanding the Falklands again, and it said that this was coming in the wake of the UK agreeing to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

And I was surprised and happy to learn that! The forced deportation of the Chagos Islanders from their land, and the illegal division of the territory of Mauritius prior to their independence, was illegal and horrific.

And then I learned that, under the treaty, Chagos Islanders would not be allowed return to the island of Diego Garcia, the biggest and most inhabitable of the islands. Because of the US Military Base there. The building of which is the reason why the British kicked them off in the first place.

So ultimately it's a progressive-sounding move that will make little to no difference actually addressing the harm caused.

[lesbiansandgayssupporttheminers]

When the Chagos islands are returned to Mauritius, the sun will finally set on the British empire.

[sacrifical-lamb-core]

[victusinveritas]

An insane paragraph from a Telegraph article on the traumatising loss of the Chagos Islands from the glorious empire, specifically the fact that their departure means that, due to its location on the globe, "the sun will finally set on the British Empire".

About fucking time.

Also, Diego Garcia will still be under British-American control so the west can bomb the shit out of anything within flying range of B-2/B-52. There's also apparently a Space Force detachment there for reasons involving satellite tracking.

And some Seabees are there, so that's nice for them.

[quark-nova]

Hot take but all the techbros using .io domain names should pay reparations to the Chagossian people who were expelled from their islands by the UK to set up a useless military base. Or at least know that that's where their domain name comes from.

[head-post]

Chagos islanders displaced for US military base marched to UK Parliament

Islanders who were forced to abandon their remote Indian Ocean home to make way for a US military base half a century ago protested outside Britain’s Parliament on Monday against a deal they say decided the fate of their homeland without them.

The British government announced last week that it was handing over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius under an agreement that would leave a US naval and bomber base on one of the islands, Diego Garcia.

Located south of the equator off the coast of India, the Chagos Islands have been under British rule since 1814. They became known as the British Indian Ocean Territory in 1965 when they were separated from Mauritius, a British colony that gained independence three years later.

Frankie Bontemps, a second-generation Chagos resident, remarked:

“Today they have a deal that suits them, best of course. But what about the people? What about the people they ignored 65 years ago? I feel, as I do, that history is repeating itself today.”

According to Yasmin Ahmed, director of Human Rights Watch UK, it is crucial for David Lammy, the British Foreign Secretary, Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, and the whole government to recognise that they will not be able to right historical wrongs or meet their international obligations unless the Chagossian community is at the forefront of any agreements that allow them to return to their homeland and receive compensation.

Way for the US military base Diego Garcia

Britain expelled nearly 2,000 people from the islands in the 1960s and 1970s to make way for the US military base Diego Garcia, which supported military operations from Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2008, the US admitted that the base was also involved in secret rendition flights for terrorist suspects.

A significant number of islanders have resettled in the UK and unsuccessfully tried to reclaim their homeland through British legal channels. Their struggle has received global support, especially from African countries and the United Nations.

In a 2019 advisory opinion, the UN International Court of Justice ruled that Britain illegally partitioned Mauritius when it decided to end colonial rule in the late 1960s. The UN General Assembly has since passed a resolution calling on the UK to end its “colonial administration” of the Chagos Islands and return them to Mauritius.

Britain’s newly-elected Labour government says the military base status could be jeopardised by possible legal disputes if the deal is not finalised.

“British sovereignty over Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands is non-negotiable”

US President Joe Biden has welcomed the deal, saying it “ensures that the joint facility at Diego Garcia will operate effectively for the next century.” But Britain’s Conservative opposition said the decision to hand over part of the territory to the UK sets a worrying precedent for other vast possessions, including Gibraltar, claimed by Spain, and the Falkland Islands, claimed by Argentina.

The government strongly denies this. Starmer spokesman Dave Pares said on Monday that “British sovereignty over Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands is non-negotiable.”

The agreement would create a resettlement fund for displaced Chagos residents aimed at allowing them to return to the islands – with the exception of Diego Garcia. The UK says the details of any return are now the responsibility of Mauritius. Jamie Simon, whose grandparents were expelled from the Chagos islands, said:

“They shouldn’t have done this deal without asking us what we want. It may be just another island to them. It might just be a military base for them..But for us, it’s home.”

Read more HERE

[usa-town-talks]

Britain and Mauritius Reach Sovereignty Agreement on Chagos Islands

Britain announced on Thursday a significant agreement to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. This deal will enable individuals displaced decades ago to return home while allowing London to maintain operational control of the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia.

British Foreign Minister David Lammy stated that the agreement ensures the continued operation of Diego Garcia, a strategically important military base jointly managed with the United States. The deal also paves the way for Mauritius to resettle its population on the islands, which were evacuated years ago.

“This government inherited a situation where the long-term, secure operation of the Diego Garcia military base was under threat due to contested sovereignty and ongoing legal challenges,” Lammy said. “Today’s agreement secures this vital military base for the future and strengthens our role in safeguarding global security, while also shutting down any potential use of the Indian Ocean as a dangerous illegal migration route to the UK.”

Britain has maintained control over the region since 1814, having detached the Chagos Islands from Mauritius in 1965. This move was made to establish the British Indian Ocean Territory, and in the early 1970s, nearly 2,000 residents were forcibly relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles to facilitate the construction of the airbase.

In 2019, the World Court ruled that Britain should relinquish control of the islands, condemning the forced removal of the population in the 1970s to accommodate the US airbase.

The recent political agreement between Britain and Mauritius has garnered support from both the United States and India.

[freehawaii]

THINK HAWAI`I CANʻT BECOME FREE?

Check out this article on the United Kingdom (UK) returning the CHAGOS ISLANDS to the Republic of Mauritius (a former British colony). https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c98ynejg4l5o

 It is an issue I’ve been tracking and speaking into at the United Nations for the past 10 years … because it is parallel to our situation… the manipulation of the UN decolonization process by a colonial power — the UK with Mauritius and the US with Hawai`i.

 When the Republic of Mauritius, a former colony of the UK, gained its independence in 1968, the UK withheld the Chagos Islands Archipelago from the new nation. Then the UK leased the largest of the islands, Diego Garcia, to the US to build a large naval base. Like Pearl Harbor in the Pacific, Diego Garcia, is the principal US military base in the Indian Ocean to project US military power in the region. Diego Garcia played a major role in the Gulf War (Kuwait), the Iraqi War and the war in Afghanistan.

 Here's a photo of me and my friend, Mehmet sukru Guzel, in front of the UN in Geneva with his then (2019 ) new book, The Chagos Archipelago Case in the International Court of Justice. It provides an excellent analysis of the situation.

[timelessnewsnow]

The Chagos Islands to Mauritius represents a pivotal moment in a long-standing dispute, it also raises essential questions about justice, identity, and the role of affected communities in determining their own futures.

Know more 👆🏻

[countriesgame]

Please reblog for a bigger sample size!

If you have any fun fact about Chagos Archipelago, please tell us and I'll reblog it!

Be respectful in your comments. You can criticize a government without offending its people.

Info: Chagos Archipelago not a country. The blog is open to non-country polls now. In this case, it refers to the islands currently occupied by the U.K.

[mapsontheweb]

Where Britons think Chagos Islands are.

[compsci-haikus]

Don't buy .io Chagos folks were forced to go Without getting dough

remember .io games? that was 8 years ago

[lejournaldupeintre]

UK will give sovereignty of Chagos Islands to Mauritius

The deal includes the tropical atoll of Diego Garcia, which is used by the United States as a military base The United Kingdom has announced it is giving up sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius in a deal that will secure the future of a key US military base on the atoll of Diego Garcia while allowing islanders displaced for the past five decades a right of return. The deal, announced…