Starmer's Chagos Islands deal is a clear win - for Mauritius
6 February 2025, 12:36
This historic deal will see the handover of the Chagos Islands by the UK Government to Mauritius. It marks a stark reversal in a long-running territorial dispute.
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The UK Government now seeks a balance between its strategic priorities and the need to address its colonial legacy. Its critics argue that the balance is skewed against our national interests.
The details of the proposed deal are opaque. The UK will also make staged payments to Mauritius, said to be up to £18 billion. Mauritius will allow the strategically important US military base at Diego Garcia to continue operating for many more years. The agreement has yet to be ratified, the UK awaiting US views before making a final decision. Critics argue that this is too great a price to pay at a time of UK economic downturn.
Further, some American politicians have raised concerns that the deal might give China an opportunity of a foothold in the region, although military strategists generally feel this is an unlikely scenario.
When Britain granted independence to Mauritius in 1968, the UK insisted the Chagos archipelago, particularly Diego Garcia with its crucial US military base, was vital to Western security interests in the Indian Ocean. This stance led to the islands' separation from Mauritius before independence and the forced removal of the indigenous Chagossian population in the 1960s and 70s. Former UK Foreign Secretary Robin Cook's has stated: "There are moments in our history of which we cannot be proud, and the expulsion of the Chagossians is one of them. The challenge now is not to compound that wrong but to find a way forward that respects both strategic necessities and human rights." The deal will also include provisions for Chagossian resettlement rights and environmental protection, addressing key concerns beyond pure security considerations.
The International Court of Justice, in an Advisory Opinion in 2019 concluded that the UK’s separation of the Chagos Archipelago was unlawful and should immediately return the islands to Mauritius.
A UN General Assembly Resolutions Resolution in 2019 was particularly critical, demanding that the UK withdraw its colonial administration unconditionally within six months.
At a time when the rule of law is broken with impunity by many Governments, it is right that the UK should adhere to the ICJ Opinion and UN Resolutions. After many decades of inflicting injustice upon the Chagossians, the UK have a moral obligation to now do the right thing in allowing them to return, and pay some reparations which are long overdue. The deal shows a deftness of political touch by both parties. How refreshing that our and the US security interests can be protected without abandoning the rule of law and while retaining international goodwill. The right balance has been struck.
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Sailesh Mehta is a Human Rights Barrister at Red Lion Chambers.
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