UN Committee Urges UK and Mauritius to Halt Chagos Agreement, Citing Rights Violations and Lack of Chagossian Consent.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has called on the United Kingdom and Mauritius to suspend ratification of their recently signed bilateral agreement on the future of the Chagos Archipelago, warning that the deal risks perpetuating longstanding violations of Chagossian rights and contravening international law.
In a decision issued under its early warning and urgent action procedures, CERD expressed “deep concern” that the agreement, signed on 22 May 2025 and still pending domestic ratification, fails to ensure the free, prior and informed consent of the Chagossian people and includes provisions that would block their return to Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago.
UN, UK Must Stop “Giveaway” Without Chagossian Participation
CERD stated that negotiating and drafting the agreement without “meaningful participation” of Chagossians is “affecting their rights and lands” and “restricting the exercise of their right to self-determination.”
Barrister James Tumbridge, who has been closely involved in advocacy for Chagossian rights, said the UN’s findings underline the seriousness of the issue.
“The UN says the UK give away of the Chagossian homeland must stop,” Tumbridge commented.
“Regarding reports that the Chagossian people had not been adequately consulted during the negotiation and drafting of the agreement, the UN Committee said that the lack of meaningful participation of Chagossian people is affecting their rights and lands, and restricting the exercise of their right to self-determination. The Committee called on both Mauritius and the United Kingdom to suspend ratification of the agreement, and to engage immediately in a renewed dialogue to ensure the free, prior and informed consent of the Chagossian people. It’s time to talk to the people!”
Under the bilateral agreement, sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago would transfer to Mauritius, while the United Kingdom would retain control of Diego Garcia through a 99 year lease, with the possibility of a 40 year extension. Diego Garcia hosts a major joint US, UK military facility.
CERD warned that these provisions are inconsistent with the 2019 International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion and the subsequent UN General Assembly resolution, which instructed the United Kingdom to end its administration of the islands “as rapidly as possible” and called for facilitation of Chagossian resettlement without obstacles.
Forced Displacement and Unresolved Claims
The Chagos Archipelago was detached from Mauritius in 1965 during decolonisation and retained by the United Kingdom as the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). Between 1968 and 1973, the entire Chagossian population, an ethnic community of African and South Asian origin, was forcibly removed to allow construction of the US, UK military base on Diego Garcia. The community has since lived in exile, primarily in Mauritius, Seychelles and the United Kingdom.
Despite the ICJ’s finding that their expulsion violated the right to self-determination, Chagossians still lack guaranteed rights to return, restitution or compensation. CERD noted that the new bilateral agreement does not include full reparations, nor any formal acknowledgment of the historical injustices they suffered.
Judicial Review in the UK Still Pending
The UN’s intervention comes as a Judicial Review in the United Kingdom, brought forward with the support of the Great British PAC, awaits judgment. The challenge contests the legality of the government’s negotiations and decision making on Chagos policy, including the alleged exclusion of Chagossian communities from the process.
Campaigners argue that the government cannot lawfully negotiate the islands’ future while bypassing the people directly affected. The pending ruling may have significant implications for the agreement’s viability.
Committee Calls for Immediate Dialogue
CERD has urged both governments to:
- Suspend ratification of the 22 May agreement
- Engage in renewed dialogue with Chagossians
- Guarantee free, prior and informed consent in all future negotiations
- Uphold the right of return, including to Diego Garcia
- Provide effective remedies and full reparation for past harms
The Committee emphasised that both the United Kingdom and Mauritius must act in accordance with obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
“It’s Time to Talk to the People”
For many Chagossians and human rights advocates, the UN’s message is clear: no agreement about the archipelago’s future can be legitimate without direct engagement with the people who were displaced from it.
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