Chagossians criticise lack of say in UK deal to hand over islands

People with roots successful the Chagos Islands person criticised what they called their "exclusion" from negotiations starring to the UK government's woody to springiness up its sovereignty of the region.

The distant but strategically important clump of islands successful the Indian Ocean is acceptable to beryllium handed to Mauritius aft much than fractional a century.

Some Chagossians the BBC spoke to broadly welcomed the deal, but galore said indigenous radical had been repeatedly refused an accidental to instrumentality portion successful talks.

The Foreign Office said the interests of the Chagossian assemblage had been "an important portion of the negotiations".

• UK volition springiness sovereignty of Chagos Islands to Mauritius

Pascalina Nellan, whose grandma was calved connected a cardinal land successful the portion - Diego Garcia, said the woody amounted to a "backstabbing" by the UK government.

Ms Nellan was calved successful Mauritius, wherever her grandma resettled aft being removed from Diego Garcia to marque mode for a US Air Force base.

Two years agone she moved to the UK, wherever she has been calling for Chagossian engagement successful the woody implicit the territory.

"Every clip we made a petition to beryllium heard we person been excluded," she said, claiming UK officials said the Chagossian assemblage could not beryllium progressive successful negotiations betwixt the 2 countries.

"Today, again, we've been excluded," the 34-year-old postgraduate pupil told the BBC.

"We request to respect the rights of indigenous people."

Ms Nellan said she would similar to spell backmost to the islands, but not nether Mauritius' control.

"Our close to self-determination - whether we privation to beryllium British citizens oregon Mauritian citizens astatine each - has been stripped today," she said.

Frankie Bontemps, a 2nd procreation Chagossian successful the UK, told the BBC that helium felt "betrayed" and "angry" connected Thursday due to the fact that "Chagossians person ne'er been involved" successful the negotiations.

"We stay powerless and voiceless successful determining our ain future", helium said, and called for the afloat inclusion of Chagossians successful drafting the treaty.

Steeve Bancal, a trainee societal idiosyncratic from Sussex, was affirmative astir the deal.

He said Mauritius was much apt to enactment resettlement plans successful spot for Chagossians than the UK, who had "done nothing" for the community.

He expressed anticipation to instrumentality to the islands with his mother, who was besides removed from Diego Garcia. She resettled successful Mauritius, wherever Mr Bancal was born.

Mr Bancal said it would beryllium a "dream travel true" for his mother, 74, to instrumentality to Diego Garcia.

However, helium besides criticised the negotiations, saying they happened "behind closed doors".

"None of america were told what was happening. It's unfair connected us," helium said.

"It's our practice - we should person had 1 oregon 2 radical successful the room.

"I don't deliberation the UK authorities trusts us."

Isabelle Charlot was calved successful Mauritius to Chagossian parents, and has lived successful the UK - wherever she is the chairperson of the Chagos Islanders Movement - for 19 years.

She said she present hoped to instrumentality to the archipelago, from which Britain forcibly removed much than 1,000 islanders betwixt 1965 and 1973 aft gaining power of the territory.

"That is what my household and I person been waiting for," Ms Charlot told the BBC.

She said she welcomed the woody arsenic a measurement toward "reclaiming [her] identity, practice and homeland", each of which had been "robbed" from her.

"I [knew] that the Labour authorities would privation to close the humanities wrongs and respect the planetary law," she said.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) called for the Chagossians to beryllium consulted connected the deal.

Responding to the UK government's announcement, Clive Baldwin, elder ineligible advisor astatine HRW, said: "It does not warrant that the Chagossians volition instrumentality to their homeland, appears to explicitly prohibition them from the largest island, Diego Garcia, for different century, and does not notation the reparations they are each owed to rebuild their future."

Mr Baldwin called for meaningful consultations with the Chagossians.

He said unless this happens, the UK, US and present Mauritius would beryllium be liable for "a inactive ongoing assemblage crime".

Jonathan Powell, the UK's Special Envoy for British Indian Ocean Territory negotiations, said connected Thursday that Britain's past attraction of the Chagossians was "shameful".

But helium called the agreement, reached aft 11 rounds of negotiations, "genuinely historic".

He said helium could not warrant whether Chagossians would beryllium capable to instrumentality to the islands, since they were to go Mauritian territory, but that the UK was committed to "help with resettlements if that's possible".

The UK authorities said it volition besides supply a bundle of fiscal enactment to Mauritius, including yearly payments and infrastructure investment.

An FCDO spokesperson said: “This is simply a bilateral statement betwixt the UK and Mauritius."

"We are mindful that the aboriginal of the islands is an important contented for the Chagossian community. Their interests person been an important portion of the negotiations.”