“At one funeral, we scattered sand from Chagos into an elder’s tomb to honour his unfulfilled wish to breathe his last in his homeland,” says Olivier Bancoult of the Chagos Refugees Group.
asserted
Bancoult → scatter → Group
For elderly Chagossians displaced from their Indian Ocean homeland decades ago, delays to a treaty allowing their return are raising fears that they may never see the islands again.
uncertain
they → displace → islands
The agreement, signed by Britain and Mauritius in May 2025, would allow resettlement on islands other than Diego Garcia, which would remain a military base.
uncertain
which → sign → Garcia
But it has yet to enter into force amid opposition from US President Donald Trump.
asserted
it → have → Trump
“We remain unshaken by Trump’s interference in the Chagos deal,” Bancoult says.
asserted
Bancoult → remain → deal
“The 2019 ICJ advisory opinion in favour of the archipelago’s return to Mauritius has restored our dignity and faith in our rights as native Chagossians.”
asserted
opinion → restore → Chagossians
The Chagos archipelago, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean, was separated from Mauritius by Britain in 1965, three years before Mauritius gained independence.
asserted
Mauritius → separate → independence
Britain later established a military base with the US on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the group.
asserted
Britain → establish → group
Between 1968 and 1973, Britain removed an estimated 1,400 to 1,700 Chagossians from the islands.
asserted
Britain → remove → islands
Many were resettled in Mauritius and the Seychelles, with others later moving to the United Kingdom.
asserted
others → resettle → Kingdom
British authorities also made it illegal to remain on or return to the islands without permission.
asserted
it → make → permission
“If Trump wants to meddle in this matter, well, let him,” Bancoult says.
asserted
Bancoult → want → him
“We’ve had the 2019 ICJ [International Court of Justice] advisory opinion, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea’s 2021 judgement, and the 2025 UK-Mauritius treaty providing for Mauritius to exercise sovereignty over the archipelago.
asserted
Mauritius → have → archipelago
Signed on May 22, 2025, the treaty provides for Mauritius to exercise sovereignty over the Chagos archipelago, while allowing the UK to exercise rights over the Diego Garcia military base for an initial 99-year period.
uncertain
UK → sign → period
It also allows Mauritius to arrange for the resettlement of Chagossians on islands other than Diego Garcia.
asserted
Mauritius → allow → Garcia
The treaty has not yet entered into force.
asserted
treaty → enter → force
In April, the UK government told Parliament that the legislation needed to implement the agreement could not complete its passage during the 2024–26 parliamentary session.
uncertain
legislation → tell → session
The session ended on April 29, meaning the bill made no further progress.
asserted
bill → end → progress
In January, Trump criticised the agreement, calling it an “act of great stupidity ” and questioning whether it adequately protected the Diego Garcia military base.
asserted
it → criticise → base
The issue returned to the diplomatic agenda in September.
asserted
issue → return → September
On September 21, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the UK would work with Mauritius and the US on a way forward that secures the operation of Diego Garcia and protects UK national security.
asserted
that → say → security
On September 26, Mauritian Prime Minister Navin Ramgoolam travelled to the UK for talks with British National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell and other officials on the Chagos issue.
asserted
Ramgoolam → travel → issue
He remains in London, with the Mauritian government saying the discussions would cover recent developments concerning the archipelago.
asserted
discussions → remain → archipelago
For Bancoult, the central question is whether elderly Chagossians will live long enough to see the treaty’s promises fulfilled.
“Chagossians born on the archipelago are now aged between 58 and 100.
asserted
Chagossians → live → 58
We are growing old, and we have lost several Chagossian elders this year alone,” he says.
asserted
he → grow → elders
Chrisyl Wong-Hang-Sun, a PhD researcher in anthropology at the University of Edinburgh, says years of displacement and migration are making it harder to preserve Chagossian culture.
asserted
it → say → culture
“During my fieldwork, many diaspora members expressed concerns over cultural loss, such as words in Chagossian Creole and recipes that are difficult to recreate abroad,” she says.
asserted
she → express → Creole
“Descendants of Chagossians, myself included, long to know the islands of their relatives and ancestors.
asserted
myself → include → relatives
The dispute has also exposed political differences among Chagossians.
asserted
dispute → expose → Chagossians
“The actions of both the British and Mauritian governments have resulted in very nuanced and differing political opinions among Chagossians across the UK, Mauritius and the Seychelles,” Wong-Hang-Sun says.
asserted
Sun → result → UK
The Chagos Refugees Group is at odds with UK-based second-generation Chagossian Misley Mandarin and his supporters, who favour resettlement under British rather than Mauritian sovereignty and have received backing from Reform UK.
asserted
who → base → UK
Wong-Hang-Sun says those differences should be recognised as negotiations continue.
asserted
negotiations → say → ?
Both governments, she says, need to “find ways to prioritise and engage with the Chagossian diaspora as a whole”.
asserted
she → say → whole
Mauritius keeps talks largely private
Mauritius has disclosed little publicly about the substance of the latest talks on Chagos.
asserted
Mauritius → keep → Chagos
At the United Nations General Assembly in September, Foreign Minister Dhananjay Ramful reiterated Mauritius’ position that its sovereignty over the Chagos archipelago was “non-negotiable”.
asserted
sovereignty → reiterate → archipelago
He also described the 2025 agreement as a vindication of international law and said Mauritius was committed to diplomacy and dialogue over the issue.
asserted
Mauritius → describe → issue
Beyond official statements and communiques, the Mauritian government has provided few details about the substance of the current discussions.
asserted
government → provide → discussions
International relations consultant Bruno Donat, who has previously worked at the UN, says Mauritius should focus on sustained engagement with diplomatic partners, including the African Union, small island states, the Commonwealth Secretariat and sympathetic voices in the US Congress.
asserted
Mauritius → work → Congress
“Being in New York corridors for a photo” is not the priority, Donat says.
asserted
Donat → say → photo
Sustained engagement, he argues, can build pressure on Washington and prevent the issue from remaining unresolved indefinitely.
asserted
he → argue → issue
…and 14 more, not listed.
The Aporia
