US military base deal draws protests from Chagos Island residents

Islanders who had to leave their distant Indian Ocean home for a U.S. military base half a century ago protested outside the U.K. Parliament on Monday.

Critics claim that the government is giving up control over a British territory.

This agreement has left displaced residents unsure about their ability to return home.

They argue that a recent agreement has determined the future of their homeland without their involvement.

36 year-old Jemmy Simon's grandparents were expelled from the Chagos.

"They shouldn't have made this deal without asking us what we wanted. We surely, we get to say, we should be getting a say. We should be at the forefront of any negotiations that is happening about our home. This is not it might just be another island to them. It might just be a military base for them. It might just be keeping everybody else safe. But to us, it is home," she said.

Located just south of the equator off the coast of India, the Chagos Islands have been under British rule since 1814.

They became known as the British Indian Ocean Territory in 1965 when they were detached from Mauritius, a British colony that gained its independence three years afterward.

Frankie Bontemps, a second-generation Chagossian, remarked, "Today they have a deal which is suitable for them, best for them, of course. And what about the people? What about the people that they ignored like 65 years ago? Like myself, I felt like today is like history repeating itself."

The British government announced last week its decision to cede the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, with the condition that the American naval and bomber base remains on Diego Garcia.

According to Yasmine Ahmed, the UK director of Human Rights Watch, it is vital for David Lammy, the UK Foreign Secretary, Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, and the whole government to recognize that they will not address historical wrongs or fulfill their international duties unless the Chagossian community is at the forefront of any agreements, allowing them to return to their homeland and receive compensation.

Britain expelled nearly 2,000 people from the islands in the 1960s and 1970s to make way for the U.S. military's Diego Garcia base, which has supported military actions from Vietnam through Iraq and Afghanistan.

In 2008, the U.S. acknowledged that the base was also involved in secret rendition flights for terror suspects.

A significant number of islanders relocated to Britain and attempted, without success, to reclaim their homeland through U.K. legal channels.

Their struggle has received global backing, particularly from African countries and the United Nations.

In a 2019 advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice determined that the U.K. had illegally divided Mauritius when it decided to conclude colonial governance in the late 1960s.

Following that stance, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution urging Britain to cease its "colonial administration" of the Chagos Islands and hand them back to Mauritius.

The newly elected Labour government in Britain argues that the military base's status may be jeopardized by potential legal disputes if the deal is not finalized.

U.S. President Joe Biden praised the arrangement, stating it "ensures the effective operation of the joint facility on Diego Garcia into the next century."

However, the Conservative opposition in Britain expressed concern that transferring a portion of U.K. territory could set a troubling precedent for other distant territories, such as Gibraltar, claimed by Spain, and the Falkland Islands, claimed by Argentina.

The U.K. government firmly rejects this notion.

Starmer spokesman Dave Pares emphasized on Monday that "British sovereignty over Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands is not negotiable."

The agreement will also establish a resettlement fund for displaced Chagossians, facilitating their return to the islands, excluding Diego Garcia.

The U.K. asserts that the specifics of any returns are now under Mauritius's jurisdiction.

With Chagossians left in limbo regarding their potential return, under the agreement, the U.K. will retain sovereignty of Diego Garcia for an initial period of 99 years, paying Mauritius an undisclosed rent.