After drifting for 10 days from Sri Lanka in the hope of reaching a refuge in Canada in 2021, a fishing boat with dozens of Tamil men, women and children on board was rescued by the British navy. However, when they saw the flag that helped them, their relief turned into a nightmare. They have been stranded for three years. “Luck” wanted them to go to Diego García, the “paradise” island with a tremendous history.

The island and its initial colonization. Located between the east coast of Africa and the west coast of Indonesia, the island was part of the Chagos Archipelago. It was colonized by the French as an agricultural settlement in the 18th century. So they took the Chagossians, descendants of slaves from Africa and India, to the islands to cultivate coconut trees for the production of copra (dried coconut meat). Over time, local people developed their own culture and dialect, known as Chagossian Creole.

After Napoleon’s defeat in 1814, the island came under British control as part of the Treaty of Paris and became part of the colony of Mauritius. Throughout the 19th century, life on the island continued with a small population dedicated to agriculture and fishing, but with the start of the new century, things were about to change.

Expulsion from the building. This happened in the late 1960s. During the Cold War, the United States and the United Kingdom signed an agreement. Both countries viewed the island as a strategic location for a secret military base in the Indian Ocean. In 1965, the British separated the Chagos Islands from Mauritius, creating the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), which included the other 57 islands of the Chagos Archipelago. In 1966, he signed a secret agreement with the United States allowing the construction of a military base.

Now, between 1968 and 1973, the Chagossians, the indigenous inhabitants of Diego García, were expelled en masse from the island. The deportation, which was done solely to clear the area for the construction of the base, led to the relocation of the population to Mauritius and Seychelles, with reports of human rights abuses continuing over time. Thus, the island was forced to be rented to the USA as a military base until 2036.

O Club for the US military on the island

A military base and a lot of secrecy. In the early 1970s, work began to establish a US naval and air base at Diego García. This base has since become a crucial hub for military operations in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq. During the 1991 Gulf War and the Afghanistan War (2001), the island was used as a platform for bombing and resupply missions.

Of course, investigations into secret operations were also discussed during this period, and there are also accusations that it was used as a secret detention area by the CIA after September 11, 2001. Regardless, it is officially managed by the Ministry. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs (FCDO) in London, although constitutionally separated from the UK, which leases the island to the US and has 5,000 military personnel stationed there.

Right of return. Since the deportation of the Chagossians, the legal and political struggle for their return has not stopped. In 2000, the UK Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Chagossians, granting them the right to return. However, the decision was reversed in 2004 when the British government blocked the return for “security reasons”.

In 2019, the International Court of Justice issued an opinion declaring Britain’s occupation of the Chagos Islands unlawful, intensifying international pressure for the UK to return the islands to Mauritius.

Local “victory”. A few days ago the United Kingdom agreed to return the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius, but in small print. The British announced that they would hand over sovereignty of the islands, ending decades of negotiations. But the US-British base will likely remain at Diego García, the key point that allowed the UK to “surrender”.

Although it depends on the signing of the agreement, it seems that an agreement has been reached after all. “This is a defining moment in our relationship and a demonstration of our enduring commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes and the rule of law,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Mauritian counterpart Pravind Jugnauth said in a joint statement. “We are committed to ensuring the safe, effective and long-term operation of the existing base in Diego García, which plays a vital role in regional and global security!”

Is everyone winning? US President Joe Biden welcomed the “historic agreement” and said it was “a clear demonstration that through diplomacy and partnership, countries can overcome long-standing historical challenges to achieve peaceful and mutually beneficial outcomes.”

Now, and more than 50 years since the British expelled them from their land to “lease” their largest island to the United States for purposes no one knows for sure, the Chagossians are allowed to return home, though not to Diego. García, where the UK guaranteed the operation of the military base for an “initial period” of 99 years.

And meanwhile, 60 Tamils ​​who were stranded for three years after seeking asylum remain in limbo, not knowing whether they will “be able to return” even though it is unclear where they will be sent.

Image | Foreign, Commonwealth. Renopenrose, Serendigity

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