Group says they intend to establish permanent settlement but Mauritius attorney general calls their move a ‘publicity stunt’
Four Chagos Islanders have landed on one of the archipelago’s atolls to establish what they say will be a permanent settlement, in an attempt to complicate a British plan to transfer the territory to Mauritius.
The Mauritius attorney general said the move was a publicity stunt designed to create conflict over a 2025 agreement with Britain on handing over sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory, which is opposed by some Chagossians who accuse Mauritius of decades of neglect. Mauritius has denied the accusations.
Under the deal, Britain would cede control over the islands to Mauritius but lease the largest, Diego Garcia, for 99 years to continue operating a joint US-UK military base there.
Misley Mandarin, leader of the four people who landed on Monday on the remote Île du Coin atoll, said they were living in tents. They expect 10 more arrivals next week and many more in the coming year, he said.
