Major Updates (October 2024)
Let Us Return USA!, the US support group for the exiled Chagossian people, wants to share some huge updates, including news that Chagossians are close to going home (at least to most of their islands)….
Chagossians and the world heard the news that Chagossians have awaited for decades: Chagossians can finally return home (mostly)! And they will finally receive what sounds like proper compensation.
This is an historic victory that was made possible by a global movement of supporters like you!
Unfortunately it’s an incomplete victory because Chagossians are still barred from resettling on Diego Garcia (where most trace their ancestry).
The good news came as part of a deal in which the UK and Mauritian governments, backed by the US, agreed to the UK restoring Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos islands. The UK, in turn, agreed to lease Diego Garcia from Mauritius for at least 99 years and allow the continued occupation of the US base. The UK promised a trust fund for Chagossians and an infrastructure fund that could help rebuild life in Chagos.
While the agreement is a victory for Chagossians, for the decolonization movement, and for international law, continuing to ban Chagossians from returning to live on Diego Garcia—while allowing the US military to stay--perpetuates the original crime committed against them.
Preventing Chagossians from living on Diego Garcia indeed violates the International Court of Justice’s 2019 ruling requiring the protection of Chagossians' full human rights. Barring resettlement is also unnecessary: The base occupies only part of the west side of the island. Chagossians could live on the east side without interfering with base operations, just as civilians live next to US bases worldwide (including Guantánamo Bay).
For now, the US military’s desire for total control has continued to trump Chagossians’ basic human right to live in their homeland. As Chagossians have pointed out, they were wrongly excluded from the negotiations leading to the deal.
The UK and Mauritius, however, still must finalize the deal with a treaty, and thus they have time to correct this injustice by allowing Chagossians to return to all their islands including Diego Garcia.
In other words, while Chagossians celebrate their victory, the struggle will continue to allow all Chagossians to go home….
Look out for updates on how we can pressure the US, UK, and Mauritian governments to prioritize Chagossians’ rights and meet their demands for justice!
With deep thanks for your support at this momentous time in the Chagossian struggle,
Let Us Return USA!
P.S. Please send ideas, suggestions, questions, and leads with members of Congress, the Biden administration, and media to [email protected] or to David Vine at [email protected].
Major Updates (February 2023)
In November 2022 the British government announced a dramatic policy change: it would begin negotiations with the government of Mauritius about Chagossians returning home and sovereignty over Diego Garcia and the Chagos islands.
Chagossians rightly demanded they be part of these negotiations. Disturbingly the UK government said it would have “conversations” with Chagossians and then excluded them from the first round of talks. Chagossians and supporters, including members of Parliament and Human Rights Watch, have insisted that Chagossians be fully involved in all future talks.
Human Rights Watch’s involvement (see video) is another major development, increasing pressure on the US and UK governments and support for Chagossians. HRW, one of the world’s leading human rights organizations, will release a major report about the Chagossians in the next few weeks. HRW has already demanded that any UK-Mauritius agreement include a commitment to the right of return and full reparations.
The links underlined above provide more information about the new developments. Links below offer more updates. Thank you for supporting the Chagossians at this exciting time, Let Us Return USA!
HumanRightsWatch video about the Chagossians
More Big Chagossian News…
Chagossians and the world heard the news that Chagossians have awaited for decades: Chagossians can finally return home (mostly)! And they will finally receive what sounds like proper compensation.
This is an historic victory that was made possible by a global movement of supporters like you!
Unfortunately it’s an incomplete victory because Chagossians are still barred from resettling on Diego Garcia (where most trace their ancestry).
The good news came as part of a deal in which the UK and Mauritian governments, backed by the US, agreed to the UK restoring Mauritian sovereignty over the Chagos islands. The UK, in turn, agreed to lease Diego Garcia from Mauritius for at least 99 years and allow the continued occupation of the US base. The UK promised a trust fund for Chagossians and an infrastructure fund that could help rebuild life in Chagos.
While the agreement is a victory for Chagossians, for the decolonization movement, and for international law, continuing to ban Chagossians from returning to live on Diego Garcia—while allowing the US military to stay--perpetuates the original crime committed against them.
Preventing Chagossians from living on Diego Garcia indeed violates the International Court of Justice’s 2019 ruling requiring the protection of Chagossians' full human rights. Barring resettlement is also unnecessary: The base occupies only part of the west side of the island. Chagossians could live on the east side without interfering with base operations, just as civilians live next to US bases worldwide (including Guantánamo Bay).
For now, the US military’s desire for total control has continued to trump Chagossians’ basic human right to live in their homeland. As Chagossians have pointed out, they were wrongly excluded from the negotiations leading to the deal.
The UK and Mauritius, however, still must finalize the deal with a treaty, and thus they have time to correct this injustice by allowing Chagossians to return to all their islands including Diego Garcia.
In other words, while Chagossians celebrate their victory, the struggle will continue to allow all Chagossians to go home….
Look out for updates on how we can pressure the US, UK, and Mauritian governments to prioritize Chagossians’ rights and meet their demands for justice!
With deep thanks for your support at this momentous time in the Chagossian struggle,
Let Us Return USA!
P.S. Please send ideas, suggestions, questions, and leads with members of Congress, the Biden administration, and media to [email protected] or to David Vine at [email protected].
Major Updates (February 2023)
In November 2022 the British government announced a dramatic policy change: it would begin negotiations with the government of Mauritius about Chagossians returning home and sovereignty over Diego Garcia and the Chagos islands.
Chagossians rightly demanded they be part of these negotiations. Disturbingly the UK government said it would have “conversations” with Chagossians and then excluded them from the first round of talks. Chagossians and supporters, including members of Parliament and Human Rights Watch, have insisted that Chagossians be fully involved in all future talks.
Human Rights Watch’s involvement (see video) is another major development, increasing pressure on the US and UK governments and support for Chagossians. HRW, one of the world’s leading human rights organizations, will release a major report about the Chagossians in the next few weeks. HRW has already demanded that any UK-Mauritius agreement include a commitment to the right of return and full reparations.
The links underlined above provide more information about the new developments. Links below offer more updates. Thank you for supporting the Chagossians at this exciting time, Let Us Return USA!
HumanRightsWatch video about the Chagossians
More Big Chagossian News…
- Olivier Bancoult, chair of the Chagos Refugees Group, and other Chagossians visited Chagos for the first time without UK permission last year. Read about the trip and how momentum has built for the Chagossians since the 2019 International Court of Justice victory in a beautifully written Atlantic article (that unfortunately underplays the role of the US government in orchestrating and paying for the Chagossian exile).
- More Chagossians won UK citizenship after previously being unable to get it like other Chagossians: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/01/evicted-chagos-islanders-descendants-to-get-british-citizenship
- Let Us Return USA! and American University students, led by Caroline Robertson, helped create the online Chagos Archive (www.chagosarchive.org), which provides free access to thousands of pages of government documents and other archival material about the Chagossians and Diego Garcia. The Chagos Archive is a terrific resource for journalists, lawyers, academics, students, and others.
- Major books about the Chagossians have appeared recently including The Last Colony, by the lawyer who helped defeat the UK at the International Court of Justice; the award-winning co-authored novel Diego Garcia; and new works of historical fiction An Impossible Return and Silence of the Chagos.
- Get More Involved! The Let Us Return USA! website is always the best place for updates and current campaigns.
