David Lammy is leaving Chagossians to the mercy of Mauritius
The sovereignty negotiations and proposed treaty between the United Kingdom and Mauritius over the Chagos Archipelago mark a pivotal moment in history.
Yet Foreign Secretary ‘s negotiations have completely excluded the voices of the Chagossian people – the forcibly-exiled indigenous population whose lives and histories are deeply connected to these islands.
Chagossians were already on the islands when the British took over in 1810, brought as slaves by the French in the 18th century. Our ancestors developed a unique culture, language and way of life on our remote islands which was brought to a cruel end when we were removed to Mauritius and the Seychelles between 1968 and 1973 to make way for the US/UK military base on Diego Garcia.
Mauritius and the Seychelles were foreign lands to us – we have never been an integral part of those distant places. My mother and all the Chagossians I’ve known since childhood experienced poverty, marginalisation and racism in Mauritius – which persists to this day.
Our surnames, our accents and our skin colour marked us out for disadvantage and exclusion. We are not “Mauritians of Chagossian origin”, as the 2019 hearings at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) tried to portray us; we are Chagossians, a people with a right to self-determination
This remains a core principle of international law, enshrined in the United Nations Charter and reaffirmed in numerous global declarations. It ensures that a people have the right to determine their own future and be heard in decisions that affect them.
However, in the critical process of deciding the sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago, the Chagossians have been excluded. This exclusion is a grave injustice that undermines the legitimacy of the ICJ advisory opinion and the negotiations.
The echoes of history are unmistakable. In 1965, during negotiations for Mauritian independence, the UK created the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) to establish a US military base, displacing us without consultation.
Mauritius gained independence in 1968, receiving £3million in compensation. But what did the Chagossian people receive in return?
We have endured decades of suffering, forced exile, and cultural loss for the Chagossians. Today, both governments are pursuing a deal that serves their interests, while the real victims – sacrificed for Mauritian independence and global security – are once again overlooked.
This act of dispossession has torn apart our families, disrupted cultures, and fractured identities, leaving scars that persist to this day.
While the UK government’s recent decision to grant British citizenship to Chagossian descendants is a step forward, it does not address the deeper issue of self-determination.
Experts at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and at Human Rights Watch agree Chagossians should be at the centre of all negotiations concerning the future of the islands. Yet we are not even part of the negotiations, let alone at the centre!. To make matters worse, the Government has refused to answer our letters and emails. We are being completely ignored.
While some of Mauritius’s claims may be based on a colonial administrative relationship with the islands, this cannot outweigh the rights of the indigenous Chagossian people. Chagossian Voices have attended three Indigenous Peoples summits at the UN to successfully assert our rights but, without the agreement of UK and Mauritius, our voices are silenced and our identity erased.
The sovereignty of the Chagos islands must not be decided without the explicit, informed and democratic consent of those most directly affected.
The solution is clear: stop the negotiations and prioritise a process that centres Chagossian voices. This process must be inclusive, transparent, and grounded in self-determination. Comprehensive consultations with Chagossian communities worldwide should be conducted, with support from international observers to ensure fairness and accountability.
The international community must also advocate for Chagossian self-determination.
The United Nations, a long-standing champion of indigenous and displaced peoples, should facilitate a just and equitable process. Both the UK and Mauritius must show genuine commitment to justice by making the Chagossians central to the decision-making process.
We have waited long enough. We have endured displacement, marginalisation, poverty and erasure for decades. Now is the time to listen to our voices, honour our rights, and ensure our future is determined by us.
It will be for Chagossians to decide, but the vast majority I know are opposed to Mauritian sovereignty and in favour of self-determination without any change in sovereignty. Chagossians understand the importance of the UK/US military base and will happily live alongside it.
The world is watching, and history will judge the actions taken in this critical moment. We do not know what any intervention by President might bring about, but a pause would allow Chagossians’ wishes to be heard and acted upon – and justice achieved.
Let us not repeat the mistakes of the past. Let us seize this opportunity to do what is right.