Repression continues against the Chagossians – OpEd – Eurasia Review

It was a spectacular example of a non-event, mixed with pure symbolism and cynicism. Here is a British government which has shown itself to be generous in restoring sovereignty over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, whose inhabitants had been brutally displaced between 1965 and 1973.

In an October 3 joint statement between London and Port Louis, all but one of the Chagos Islands will be abandoned to Mauritian control. After two years of negotiations, this is a pivotal moment in our relations and a demonstration of our enduring commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes and the rule of law. The negotiations were conducted constructively and respectfully, as equal sovereign states, on the basis of international law, a point so explicitly raised that it had to be questioned.

Attention would have immediately focused on the status of the largest island, Diego Garcia, where the US strategic military base is located. crudely nicknamed the imprint of freedom is localized. Under the terms of this treaty, the United Kingdom will accept that Mauritius is sovereign over the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia. Then comes the big qualifier: both countries had agreed to ensure that the base, which played a vital role in regional and global security (read U.S. global military dominance), would continue to operate unhindered. For an initial period of 99 years, the United Kingdom will be authorized to exercise over Diego Garcia the sovereign rights and Mauritian authorities necessary to ensure the continued operation of the base into the next century. To curry favor with Mauritius, Great Britain promised a package of financial support.

In 1965, the United Kingdom effectively bought out Mauritius for its hold on the Chagos Islands for the unprincely sum of 3 million. The movement of the 3,000 islanders to Mauritius and the Seychelles followed corruption, a splendid example of British respect for a peaceful resolution and the rule of law. In 1966, the Permanent Under-Secretary of the United Kingdom REMARK in a note of abundant nastiness that, The aim of the exercise was to obtain some rocks which will remain ours; there will be no indigenous population apart from the seagulls which do not yet have a committee (the Status of Women does not cover the rights of birds).

A hand-scribbled comment on the same note also indicated that, along with the birds, a few Tarzans or Men Fridays needed to be moved. The eviction of residents became the prelude to the construction of the American military installation.

In its efforts to spoil and foil any claim for resettlement by the Chagossians, the British government could be inventive. As humble servants of Diego Garcia's American occupiers, the British Foreign Office propose transform the area around the archipelago into a marine protected area (MPA). Counterfeit environmentalism could be used in favor of those in power.

In 2015, the Permanent Court of Arbitration find that the declaration of such an MPA in April 2010 was inconsistent with Britain's obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The declaration does not recognize, for example, commitments made in 1965 that Mauritius held binding fishing rights in the waters around the archipelago and the eventual return of the islands to Mauritius once they ceased to be militarily useful.

In 2019, the International Court of Justice find that the process of decolonization of Mauritius was not legally completed when the country gained independence in 1968, following the separation of the Chagos Archipelago. Britain had an obligation to end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as quickly as possible. The British Foreign Office, demonstrating once again how respectful of international law it can be when cornered, diminished the value of the ICJ decision. This is an advisory opinion and not a judgment, he concludes.

The United Nations General Assembly disagrees, adopt a resolution the same year, demanding the unconditional withdrawal of British colonial administration from the islands within six months. The resolution recorded 116 votes in favor, with 56 abstentions. Only six states opposed the measure, including such vocal exemplars of the rules-based order as Australia, Israel and the United States.

The treaty, according to the joint declaration, will address past wrongs and demonstrate the commitment of both parties to the well-being of the Chagossians. It does no such thing, limiting any resettlement program to Maurice's wishes while exempting Diego Garcia from such arrangements. In doing so, the agreement, states Foreign Secretary British Lammy will strengthen our role in safeguarding global security while preventing any possibility of the Indian Ocean being used as a dangerous route for illegal migration to the UK.

US President Joe Biden, however, is the one who has the most reason to rejoice at the result. Washington retains its war installations in the Indian Ocean under the pretext to demonstrate a shared commitment to regional stability while being expected to achieve peaceful and mutually beneficial outcomes.

Coy, congratulatory reviews can even be found among those in the know. Peter Harris, for example, makes an unforgivable comment inaccurate assessment In The conversation: The announced agreement is a rare win-win-win moment in international relations, with all relevant players able to claim a significant victory: Britain, Mauritius, the United States and the Chagossians.

The latter group can rightly claim to have once again been treated as permanent victims of a ruthless colonial regime, despite the hopeful optimism personalities such as Isabelle Charlot, president of the Chagos Islander Movement. The advocacy group Chagossian Voices, deplored the exclusion of the Chagossian community from the negotiations which resulted in this declaration of intent concerning the sovereignty of our homeland.

Raymonde Désirée, who was 25 at the time of her expulsion from the islands, did so intentions clear. Coming back to the Chagos Islands under Mauritian rule, this will not happen. Now a resident of Crawley, a town in West Sussex, which is home to a large Chagossian diaspora, she emphasizes this point emphatically: We were not consulted. They should have given us the right to self-determination. It seemed like it would never happen.