Chagossians want a say as UK-Mauritius deal faces fresh scrutiny

Crawley: Chagossians living in Britain said fresh doubts over a deal to hand sovereignty of their islands to Mauritius had given them a “last chance” to demand a rethink, and pledged to protest at the British parliament to make their voices heard.

Britain struck a deal in October to hand over control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, while retaining control of the British-U.S. Diego Garcia military base.

But since then both an ally of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and new Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam have publicly criticised it.

Uncertainty over the deal has given fresh hope to members of the Chagossian diaspora, many of whom ended up living in Britain, who were forcibly removed by Britain from the Indian Ocean archipelago more than 50 years ago to make way for the military base and say they cannot endorse an agreement on which they were not consulted.

“Even if they don’t respect (what) we are asking, we are determined to go in front of parliament… because we believe that’s our last chance,” said Frankie Bontemps, 55, as Chagossians of different generations gathered at a community centre in Crawley, a town about 30 miles south of London, to have lunch and play bingo.

He said they would stage a sit-down protest or even go on hunger strike if necessary. Like others, Bontemps has demanded a referendum.

Britain, which has controlled the region since 1814, detached the Chagos Islands in 1965 from Mauritius – a former colony that became independent three years later – to create the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Bontemps’ family and the rest of the population were shipped to Mauritius and Seychelles, where they lived under poor conditions. Changes in British nationality law later allowed many to move to Britain, and a large community settled in Crawley.

Under the new deal, Mauritius will be free to implement a resettlement programme on all islands except Diego Garcia, the archipelago’s largest island and where most Chagossians lived. It will remain under British and U.S. control for 99 years.

A fund would also be created for the benefit of Chagossians.

Human Rights Watch said in a 2023 report that Chagossians – predominately descendants of enslaved people – had built a unique culture with a distinct language. The islands lie some 1,680 kilometres (1,045 miles) north-east of Mauritius.

Jemmy Simon, 36, said previous protests in Mauritius had been ignored. “But we are in the UK, there is plenty of us. And if it means we have to camp out in front of Westminster, parliament, wherever it is, until you hear us, we will do it.”

Bontemps said he would campaign in the memory of those, like his late mother, who were not able to return home.

“I can feel what all the natives went through… most of them died… they never (got) to see their birthplace (again),” he said.