Interview: UK, US Treatment of Chagossians a Continuing Colonial Crime
HRWFeb 15, 2023
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday accused Britain and the US of committing crimes against humanity by forcing the people of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean to leave their homes five decades ago to make way for a US Navy base.
The condemnation was made in a 106-page report calling for compensation and an apology to the Chagossians.
The UK and US governments conspired in the 1960s to forcibly remove the islands' inhabitants, in a clear crime against humanity. In addition to the forced displacement, the UK has since prevented Chagossians from returning to their homes. Reparations are the first and minimum step towards righting these wrongs.
Diego Garcia is strategically important to the US and UK for regional security. There have been talks over its future between Mauritius, the US, and the UK, and the official lease on the island expires in 2036. Abandoning it earlier would constitute an absolute red line for British and US security interests, as China would fill any vacuum left by a withdrawal.