Photograph Source: Mohonu – Public Domain

When remote islands start to interest chatterboxes in think tanks and bureaucrats in foreign ministries, we can only assume that some matters will be exaggerated over others. With the Chagos Islands, there is one matter that is hard to exaggerate. The plight of its indigenous population has been horrendous, treated with brutish contempt by the British and United States, banished from their homelands in the name of strategic interests. As Britain and its strategic footprint passed into the shade of US power, it became vital that Britannia perform the vital role of servitor, always assured that it would be a partner in the venture.

In 1965, the UK effectively prized Mauritian control over the Chagos Islands, officially known as the British Indian Ocean Territory, for £3 million. Mauritius has long argued that the parting of this territory was the unnecessary cost of securing its own independence. Acting in a manner typical of a power claiming to follow the rule of law, 3,000 islanders were subsequently evicted to Mauritius and the Seychelles over a period of time lasting till 1973. “The object of the exercise,” remarked the UK Permanent Under-Secretary in 1966, “was to get some rocks which will remain ours; there will be no indigenous population except seagulls who have not yet got a Committee (the Status of Women does not cover the rights of Birds).” Over the decades, the UK Foreign Office repeatedly thwarted valiant efforts by the Chagossians to return to their islands. Various international bodies took issue with such stalling conduct, including the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the International Court of Justice.

In October 2024, a joint statement from London and Port Louis announced........

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