Feb 15, 2023 · About 60 years ago, the United Kingdom government secretly planned, with the United States, to force an entire Indigenous people, the Chagossians, from their homes in the Chagos...

The islands of the Chagos Archipelago were uninhabited until the late 18th century, when the French established copra plantations using slave labour in 1793. The islands have been British territory since 1814 when they were ceded to Britain with Mauritius (which then included the …

Jan 23, 2023 · On November 3, 2000, the High Court of London found that the expulsion of the Chagossians from the Chagos Archipelago was illegal. The court ruled for Chagossians to have the right to return to all of Chagos except Diego Garcia, which had been turned into a U.S. Navy Support Facility in 1977, according to Global Security.

Nov 27, 2023 · The history of the Chagos Islands encompasses colonisation, geopolitical conflict and human tragedy. The struggle between colonial powers – Britain and Mauritius – continues to overshadow people’s right to return to their ancestral lands.

The Chagossians (also Îlois [4] or Chagos Islanders) are an Afro-Asian ethnic group originating from freed African slaves brought to the Chagos Islands, specifically Diego Garcia, Peros Banhos, and the Salomon island chain, in the late 18th century as well as people of Asian (Indian and Malay) descent. [5]

On 3 April 1967, under the provisions of the order, the British government bought all the plantations of the Chagos archipelago for £660,000 from the Chagos Agalega Company. The plan was to deprive the Chagossians of an income and encourage them to leave the island voluntarily.

This book documents the past history of the Chagos including the first settlement on the islands in 1776 by Franco-Mauritian plantation owners and their slaves, through the change from French...

Oct 16, 2018 · The Settlement of the Chagos In February 1783, Sieur Pierre Marie Le Normand, an influential sugar and coconut plantation owner from the Black River district, petitioned Governor Vicomte de Souillac for a major land concession on Diego Garcia in order to establish a large coconut plantation.

Jan 13, 2025 · The Chagos Archipelago’s story is one of resilience and enduring hope amid profound challenges. The displaced Chagossians’ fight is more than a struggle for land; it is a quest for justice, cultural preservation and the right to self-determination.

Jun 15, 2023 · (Port Louis) – The United Kingdom and United States governments should mark the 50th anniversary of the forced displacement of the Chagossian Indigenous people from their homeland by announcing...