Time to finally let Chagos islanders decide their future

The sovereignty negotiations and proposed treaty between the UK and Mauritius over the Chagos Archipelago mark a pivotal moment in history.

- Frankie Bontemps Guest columnist

Yet the negotiations have completely excluded the voices of the Chagossian people the forcibly exiled indigenous population whose lives and histories are deeply connected to these islands.

Chagossians were already on the islands when the British took over in 1810, having been brought as slaves by the French in the 18th century. Our ancestors developed a unique culture, language and way of life which was brought to a cruel end when we were removed to Mauritius and the Seychelles between 1968 and 1973 to make way for the UK-US military base on Diego Garcia.

My mother and all the Chagossians I've known since childhood experienced poverty, marginalisation and racism in Mauritius which persists to this day. Our surnames, accents and skin colour marked us out for disadvantage and exclusion.

We are not "Mauritians of Chagossian origin", as the International Court of Justice tried to portray us in 2019; we are Chagossians, a people with a right to self-determination.

This remains a core principle of international law, enshrined in the United Nations Charter and reaffirmed in numerous global declarations.