After the United Nations’ General Assembly voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Chagos Islands being retuned to Mauritius, the UK missed its six-month deadline to follow through with action. Although the deadline is not binding, this could change in the near future.
UN RESOLUTION DEMANDED THAT BRITAIN RETURN THE ISLANDS “AS SOON AS POSSIBLE”
In May 2019, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution that called for Mauritius’ complete decolonisation. 116 states backed the move and only six voted against it. An advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) provided earlier this year formed the basis of this resolution, which demanded that the UK must unconditionally withdraw from the islands within six months.
The Assembly stated that, “Since the decolonization of Mauritius was not conducted in a manner consistent with the right to self-determination… the continued administration of the Archipelago constitutes a wrongful act.”
Prime Minister Jugnauth of Mauritius responded to the ICJ’s landmark judgment and said that there is no room for interpretation—the advisory opinion being “clear and unambiguous.”
Six months later, in November 2019, as the UK failed to meet the UN deadline, Prime Minister Jugnauth called the UK “an illegal colonial occupier.”
BRITAIN REFUSES TO ACCEPT MAURITIUS’ CLAIMS TO SOVEREIGNTY OF THE ISLANDS
Britain continues to assert that it does not recognise Mauritius’ claim to sovereignty with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), insisting that it retains the right to keep hold of the islands.
Mauritius claims that it was forced to give up the small island in the Indian Ocean in 1965 in order to secure its independence. The nation gained independence in 1968. Britain bought the islands for £3 million and created the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). One of the islands in question, Diego Garcia, is home to a US military base. Between 1968 and 1974, thousands of Chagossians were expelled by British forced in order to build this base. They were sent to Mauritius and the Seychelles where they faced extreme poverty and discrimination at the time. None were allowed to return to the Chagos Islands.
BRITAIN’S DWINDLING ROLE ON THE INTERNATIONAL STAGE
The implications of Britain’s non-compliance with the UN resolution will be far-reaching for its presence and influence on the international stage—influence that is arguably already dwindling. At present, the UK no longer has a sitting judge at the International Court of Justice in the Hague, for the first time in the history of the ICJ. The UN will also start showing maps that reflect that the islands belong to Mauritius.
Further sanctions remain unclear for now.
Co-founder of Human Rights Pulse, Aqsa enjoys channeling her inner-journalist and frequently writes about domestic and international human rights issues.