Diego : We are not begging for rental payments but demanding reparations !
And a time frame for leaving Diego.
The series of articles in international media on the Diego dealings by the previous and new Govt with the UK Govt are depicting us in a very bad light. We seem to be giving more importance to the annual rental payments and other support than to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) & UN decisions on the process of decolonisation.
The British press is still arguing that it is their territory which Keir Starmer is surrendering to Mts and blaming the present Labour Govt for agreeing to cough up a shocking amount of rental money to keep the military base on the Chagos Islands.
We seem to come out as beggars though we had won a total legal victory at the ICJ !
“International Law is clear: The Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia is, and has been, part of Mauritius. That is that. The UN General Assembly voted to apply this judgment. This is already underway in the UN system. The UK and USA were isolated, the worst they have ever been at any time in history. They only got four miserable countries with them. So, there is not only a legal victory for Mauritius, but a political one. So, that is that.
Chagos including Diego Garcia must, quite simply, be decolonized as fast as possible, as called for in the conclusion of ICJ Opinion, and within six months, as voted at the UN General Assembly….” Lalit in its article “DIEGO GARCIA: PELINDABA TREATY V. BILATERAL TREATY WITH THE UK?” Lindsey Collen and Ragini Kistnasamy dated 12th October 2024.
Most in the international community have recognized Mauritian sovereignty since the International Court of Justice and the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly came to this conclusion in 2019. They cannot continue to overrun the rule of international law ; that’s why they want to strike a deal before Trump takes office.
Before Donald Trump takes office, USA, UK and Mauritius must finalize the treaty putting forward first the recognition of Mauritian sovereignty over Chagos and allowing Chagossians to return to all their islands including Diego Garcia. That would be a powerful final statement in support of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. USA should also issue a formal apology for the their leading role in exiling the Chagossians and commit the U.S. to assisting resettlement.
The treaty must also be negotiated on the basis of the “ payment for reparations, and a time-frame for leaving the whole of Chagos. We owe it to ourselves, and to everyone in the world, starting with everyone in Africa.”
We are failing in sending the right message on the Diego dealings !
The present Diego dealings/bilateral negotiations are first of all the continuation of the process of decolonization -our sovereignty over Diego comes first followed by a time-frame of the demilitarization of Diego , the return of the exiled Chagossians and full reparations .
This may help us to restore a bit of our lost dignity and put to bed the baseless smears.
