The US Military Base in the Indian Ocean: Impact on the Chagossians

This article examines the impact of the United States (US) military base in the Indian Ocean on the way of life of the Chagossians who live there since centuries ago with threats to their environment, natural habitats and infringement to human rights. Consequently, they were deported from their islands and sent to England where very few of them could adapt to their new mode of life. After several litigations on the legal sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelagos in British courts a treaty on the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) was agreed between the Republic of Mauritius and the United Kingdom (UK). The 2025 Treaty provides for Mauritius to exercise full sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, with the UK exercising rights on Diego Garcia but persistent and undisputed rights of the Chagossians over the Chagos are still present until the International Court of Justice gave its Advisory Opinion on the Chagos and found that the process of decolonisation of Mauritius was not lawfully completed since its independence on the 12^th March 1968 as the UK’s continued administration of the Chagos Archipelagos coupled with concern relating to the protection of the human rights of the Chagossians including obligations reflected in the UN General resolutions 1514 (XV) of December 1960, 2066 (XX) of 16 December 1965, 224 (XXI) of 20 December 1966 and 2357 (XXII) of 19 December 1967. Over and above there are conflicting views and opinion between the Hose of Commons and the House of Lords: the House of Commons rejected all amendments made by the House of Lords for The Diego Garcia Military Base and the British Indian Ocean Territory Bill explaining why the High Court of England finally decided to review the agreement between the UK and Mauritius.