MAJOR (PARTIAL) VICTORY!!

Chagossians have won a historic--if incomplete--victory. A new UK-Mauritius agreement finally secures many Chagossians' right to return to their homeland and a UK support fund. This is huge news allowing Chagossians to go back to their Peros Banhos and Salomon islands. Watch Olivier Bancoult discuss the historic victory here (in Morisiyen/Kreol and French).

Unfortunately (to say the least), the agreement excludes the right of return to Diego Garcia.

Excluding Chagossians' right to return to Diego Garcia violates the 2019 International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling requiring protection of Chagossians' full human rights, including their fundamental right to live in their homeland.

Excluding Diego Garcia is also unnecessary: the base occupies ~1/3 of the island and Chagossians could easily live on east side of Diego Garcia. Chagossians could return to live on Diego Garcia with no impact on base operations. Those who so desire could commute to work on the base as at many US bases overseas.

The UK and Mauritius should correct the omission of Diego Garcia from the right of return and protect Chagossians' full human rights as required by the ICJ 2019 ruling.

This article nicely summarizes all that is sadly wrong with this new agreement.

Media caution:

1) Chagossians are the best to speak on the significance of this announcement.

2) Please don't repeat the US + UK talking points saying that Diego Garcia is a critical base for protecting the US + UK and global peace + security. The base, located thousands of miles from the US + Britain, hasn't been defensive. It's been an offensive launchpad for catastrophic wars in Iraq, Afghanistan + elsewhere in the Middle East.