Resurrected colonial courts and the decolonization of the Chagos Archipelago

Abstract

This post tells the fascinating story of two recent and remarkable developments in the decolonization of the Chagos Archipelago. One such development was highly publicized, the other largely overlooked. The Chagos is a group of islands in the middle of the Indian Ocean that once formed part of the former British colony of Mauritius, but now hosts a strategic US naval base under the purported administration of the UK. Despite an Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice, widespread UN condemnation, and mounting diplomatic pressure, the UK had continued to insist on its sovereignty over the archipelago. Last week, the governments of Mauritius and the UK issued a surprise joint statement that the two countries had reached an ‘historical political agreement’ on the exercise of sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago. The announcement marks a momentous step towards the decolonization of the islands.