{"id":22348,"date":"2022-11-12T09:26:20","date_gmt":"2022-11-12T09:26:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/all-news\/battle-for-chagos"},"modified":"2022-11-12T10:34:37","modified_gmt":"2022-11-12T10:34:37","slug":"battle-for-chagos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/all-news\/battle-for-chagos","title":{"rendered":"Battle for Chagos"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Mauritius. <\/strong><\/span>Popular understanding would have many believe that Britain\u2019s vast empire was decolonised in the post-Second World War era. Former colonies across Africa, South Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean and beyond opted to chart their own course during the Cold War \u2013 many joining the Non-Aligned Movement.<\/p>\n

Despite these nations shaking off the chains of colonialism and joining the burgeoning international community, in an exceptional set of circumstances in 1965, Britain created one last colony \u2013 the British Indian Ocean Territory, or BIOT.<\/p>\n

In the years before Mauritius attained its independence in 1968, one of its archipelagos, the Chagos Archipelago, was illegally detached to create BIOT. At that time, the United States was seeking Indian Ocean islands to supplement its array of bases.<\/p>\n

The island of Diego Garcia in the Chagos Archipelago was found to be the most suitable due to its location, its topography, and the expectation that British ownership would safeguard US interests.<\/p>\n

So it proved, Britain detached the archipelago before Mauritius achieved independence and expelled the entire population of Chagos by the early 1970s. These problematic British decisions have now come home to roost.<\/p>\n

Philippe Sands\u2019 new book The Last Colony: A Tale of Exile, Justice and Britain\u2019s Colonial Legacy provides a ring-side seat to Mauritius\u2019 legal and political efforts to regain the Chagos Archipelago as part of its sovereign territory.<\/p>\n

Sands, a prominent lawyer, academic and author, was retained by Mauritius in its legal strategy against Britain. Sands\u2019 work \u2013 informed by his proximity to the action \u2013 provides an insight into not only the history and topography of the remote islands, but also the decline of Britain\u2019s empire and the development of modern international law.<\/p>\n

Much more than just a chronology of this sovereignty dispute between Mauritius and the United Kingdom, the book also delves into Sands\u2019 own affinity with international law and the experience of Chagossians, in particular of Liseby Elyse\u0301.<\/p>\n

Sands provides a forceful and visceral rebuke to the very notion of the existence of the BIOT, characterising it as an illegal and racist enterprise. Whether or not Sands had an inkling of developments, in the months after his book was released a startling change has taken place.<\/p>\n

This month, on 3 November, Britain announced both it and Mauritius had decided to \u201cbegin negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT)\/Chagos Archipelago\u201d.<\/p>\n

Prior to this announcement, Britain had flatly refused to entertain speculation that it was other than steadfast in its assertion of sovereignty over BIOT.<\/p>\n

This announcement, made by James Cleverly, Britain\u2019s Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, adds that the \u201cUK and Mauritius have agreed to engage in constructive negotiations, with a view to arriving at an agreement by early next year\u201d.<\/p>\n

Thus, in part due to the tireless efforts of Sands and many others, Britain\u2019s \u201cLast Colony\u201d may soon be no more. But, until then, Sands\u2019 book is a potent expose\u0301 of Britain\u2019s double standards when it comes to human rights and international law.<\/p>\n

Of particular note are the six plates, illustrated by Martin Rowson specifically for Sands\u2019 book, which depict Elyse\u0301 navigating her way through the various legal, political and historical symbols that foreshadowed and interacted with the Chagos Archipelago issue.<\/p>\n

These rich and vivid (even if greyscale) plates spotlight the myriad individuals, entities and forces that both displaced her, and that may grant her the right of return. As for Australia, its support for BIOT in international fora does not escape Sands\u2019 ire.<\/p>\n

He rebukes Canberra\u2019s long-standing support for British sovereignty, arguing that \u201cAustralia, itself a former British colony, gave a fair impression of \u2018abused child syndrome\u2019, a victim turned perpetrator\u201d.<\/p>\n

Indeed, as others have written in The Interpreter, Australia\u2019s stance on the dispute is untenable.<\/p>\n

The Albanese government has not yet been forced to nail its colours to the mast when it comes to the BIOT, as the Liberal government was forced to do in 2019 when it sided with Britain at the UN General Assembly. Sands does acknowledge briefly that, when it comes to the Chagossians seeking to return to the Archipelago, their views are not homogenous.<\/p>\n

While many support Mauritius\u2019 claim for the Archipelago (as Mauritius has promised them resettlement if\/when it regains sovereignty), others would prefer to return to a British Chagos, some are agnostic so long as they can return, and a smaller group advocate for the creation of a new nation-state.<\/p>\n

As Britain and Mauritius begin to negotiate, Chagossian self-determination, rather than Mauritian self-determination, may become a complicating factor.<\/p>\n

Sands\u2019 book is an insightful text for not only Chagos-watchers, but also for those interested in Indian Ocean geopolitics, decolonisation and international law. Sands\u2019 seat at the bench provides for an exclusive and personal take on the Chagos.<\/p>\n

It delves into the work of an individual whose efforts may yet succeed in contributing to decolonising the last remnants of Britain\u2019s empire, and redrawing international boundaries.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Mauritius<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Mauritius. Popular understanding would have many believe that Britain\u2019s vast empire was decolonised in the post-Second World War era. Former colonies across Africa, South Asia, the Pacific, the Caribbean and beyond opted to chart their own course during the Cold War \u2013 many joining the Non-Aligned Movement. Despite these nations shaking off the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":22347,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6,7],"tags":[233,245,1767,241],"class_list":["post-22348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-files","category-head-lines","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-mauritius","tag-chagos","tag-mauritius"],"yoast_head":"\nBattle for Chagos - Mauritius<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Popular understanding would have many believe that Britain\u2019s vast empire was decolonised in the post-Second World War er ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/all-news\/battle-for-chagos\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Battle for Chagos\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Popular understanding would have many believe that Britain\u2019s vast empire was decolonised in the post-Second World War er ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/all-news\/battle-for-chagos\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mauritius\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-11-12T09:26:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-11-12T10:34:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/sites\/61\/2022\/11\/postQueueImg_1-636f767053a46.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/all-news\/battle-for-chagos#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/all-news\/battle-for-chagos\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Battle for Chagos\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-11-12T09:26:20+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-11-12T10:34:37+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/all-news\/battle-for-chagos\"},\"wordCount\":837,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/all-news\/battle-for-chagos#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/sites\/61\/2022\/11\/postQueueImg_1-636f767053a46.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Mauritius\",\"Chagos\",\"Mauritius\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"files\",\"head lines\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/all-news\/battle-for-chagos#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/all-news\/battle-for-chagos\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/mauritius\/all-news\/battle-for-chagos\",\"name\":\"Battle for Chagos - 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