A UN committee has known as on the federal government to not ratify its treaty on the way forward for the Chagos Islands – warning it’s going to “perpetuate longstanding violations of the Chagossian people’s rights”.
The last-minute intervention additional will increase the strain on ministers to scrap the deal, which has confronted fierce criticism from the Conservatives.
The landmark bilateral settlement was signed in Could this yr and would see the UK hand over management of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius. It might imply Britain formally provides up sovereignty of the Indian Ocean territory.
Politics newest – comply with newest
However the authorities would proceed to carry on to the important UK-US army base on the island of Diego Garcia, by leasing it from Mauritius for 99 years, with the potential for a 40-year extension. The settlement would additionally see the UK pay billions of kilos to Mauritius to take action.
Nevertheless, the UN has strongly criticised the deal for not permitting the Chagossian folks to return to their ancestral homelands on Diego Garcia.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has expressed “deep concern” on the phrases of the deal, and has warned it’s going to hurt Chagossians.
Why does the UK presently management the Chagos Islands?
The Chagos Islands grew to become legally separated from Mauritius in 1965 because the UK decolonised, and Mauritius grew to become an impartial nation three years later.
Picture:
The Chagos Archipelago is within the Indian Ocean however grew to become separated from Mauritius within the Nineteen Sixties.
Map: OpenStreetMap
However the UK continued to carry on to the Chagos Archipelago and those who lived there – largely folks of African and South Asian descent – have been forcibly eliminated to make means for the army base on Diego Garcia.
It’s these people who the UN committee is anxious about.
In 2019, the Worldwide Court docket of Justice (ICJ) dominated that Britain’s continued separation of the Chagos Islands from Mauritius violated the Chagossian folks’s proper to self-determination and known as for the UK to finish management over the territory. The UN Normal Meeting subsequently known as for the whole decolonisation of the islands.
Please use Chrome browser for a extra accessible video participant
6:41
Sir Keir introduced the Chagos deal in Could 2025
Why is the UN towards the deal?
In a report printed on Monday, the UN committee concluded that the phrases of the brand new deal “explicitly prevents the return of the Chagossian people to their ancestral lands in Diego Garcia Island”.
That is regardless of the settlement being offered by the UK authorities as a option to implement the ICJ’s ruling, the report states.
It mentioned this implies the settlement is “inconsistent with the UN General Assembly resolution”.
Picture:
Members of the British Chagossian group challenged the deal within the Excessive Court docket, however misplaced the case.
Pic: Reuters
The committee has additionally concluded that the deal prevents Chagossian folks from “exercising their cultural rights and preserving their cultural heritage”, which it says is one other violation of the UN decision.
The group additionally criticised the UK authorities for an absence of session with Chagossians, which it mentioned means the settlement is “restricting the exercise of their right to self-determination”. It additional criticised the deal for not offering full reparations or offering any acknowledgement of “past injustices”.
The UN committee has now known as on the UK and Mauritius to droop ratification of the treaty and to renew negotiations with the Chagossian folks, and to ensure full reparations.
Please use Chrome browser for a extra accessible video participant
5:19
Ministers have repeatedly defended the deal
Tories accuse Sir Keir of making an attempt to ‘bulldoze’ the deal by way of
The Tories have seized on the UN’s criticism and mentioned the UN has “called [Sir Keir] out”.
The occasion oppose the deal, not as a result of they consider Chagossians ought to have extra say over their future, however as a result of they argue that the UK mustn’t cede management of the islands in any respect.
Please use Chrome browser for a extra accessible video participant
6:41
Sir Keir introduced the Chagos deal in Could 2025
Shadow international secretary Dame Priti Patel mentioned: “Keir Starmer is desperate to kowtow to China at every opportunity – so much so he is handing over British sovereign territory and £35bn of taxpayers’ cash to a Beijing ally.
“In forcing by way of this Chagos give up, he has ignored the Chagossians. And now the UN has known as him out for it.
“Starmer prides himself on international law and human rights, so will he now halt ratification of the deal as the UN calls for? Or will he try to bulldoze through all opposition and trample on Chagossians once again to win favour from [Chinese President] Xi Jinping?”
Responding to the warning from the UN, a spokesperson for the Overseas Workplace mentioned: “We recognise the importance of the islands to Chagossians.
“Underneath the treaty, Mauritius will be capable to develop a programme of resettlement to islands aside from Diego Garcia, and the UK has individually dedicated to assist heritage visits to the archipelago, together with Diego Garcia.”
It’s understood that the federal government prioritised making certain entry to the UK-US army base, although it insists it did have interaction usually with Chagossians.
