Historic Victory for the Chagossians!!!

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​Chagossians can finally go home to most of their homeland now that the UK and Mauritian governments finally signed a treaty for the Chagos Islands and the US military base on Diego Garcia.

With its serious flaws, the treaty is a victory (however incomplete) for the Chagossians (and Mauritius), which have shown the world you can defeat two of the planet's most powerful countries in the UK and US.

Here are key details:

1. The treaty is a victory for the majority of Chagossians who supported the deal because it allows them to return to all their islands except Diego Garcia, home to the US base. (A small minority of Chagossians want to maintain UK sovereignty.)

2. The £40 million UK "trust fund" for Chagossians promised in the treaty is better than nothing but shockingly small. Many Chagossians are angry. Divided among all Chagossians, each would get £4,000-£8,000 (or less) as compensation for the theft of their homeland and more than 50 years of exile. People get more compensation in car accidents.

3. Mauritius will receive around £3.4 billion over 99 years for allowing the UK to exercise sovereignty over Diego Garcia PLUS £1.125 billion in development funds over 25 years. 

4. Mauritius should promise to dedicate ALL of the £1.125 billion in development money to pay for the resettlement of Chagossians and reconstruction of infrastructure in Chagos.

5. Chagossians should receive a significant proportion of the rental payments for the base given their ongoing exile from Diego Garcia.

6. The UK's continuing ban on Chagossians living on their largest island, Diego Garcia, is an outrage and ongoing human rights violation backed by the US.

7. Chagossians will continue to demand the right to return to Diego Garcia until they can return to all their islands. The UK and US governments can and must stop violating Chagossians' human rights and allow them to return. 

8. The treaty does not and cannot prevent Chagossians from continuing to pursue proper compensation from the UK and US governments in courts and by other means if they wish to do so.
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