The Chagos Islands are an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, which at the time of the British colonization was considered part of Mauritius. Shortly before granting independence to Mauritius, London decided to divide the territory, separating the Chagos to allow the United States, its allies, to create a military base on one of the islands, Diego Garcia, which enjoyed a strategic position. Between 1968 and 1973 its inhabitants were forcibly forced to leave their land and have never been able to return.
In 2019 the international court of justice ruled that the separation of the Chagos from Mauritius was illegal and the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution calling on the United Kingdom to give up the territory. In 2021 the international court of the law of the sea reiterated that London has no sovereignty over the archipelago, criticizing the British government’s refusal to return it to Mauritius.
A small delegation of natives returned to Chagos to plant a Mauritian flag and rediscover the place they had to leave as children. The Guardian followed their journey. Video.