UN slams UK on Chagos deal

A United Nations panel has urged the United Kingdom to renegotiate its deal with Mauritius over the Chagos Islands, warning that the current agreement fails to protect the rights of the displaced Chagossian people.

The UN’s intervention comes amid growing concerns that the deal meant to return sovereignty of the Indian Ocean territory to Mauritius was done without consulting the Chagossians, who were forcibly evicted by the UK decades ago.

“The agreement fails to guarantee our right of return and justice,” said a protester outside a London court where Chagossian families rallied, waving flags and holding placards demanding recognition and resettlement.

While the UK began the process of returning the islands following international legal pressure, Chagossians argue they remain excluded from decisions about their future. They want the deal rewritten to include compensation, citizenship rights, and access to their ancestral lands.

The UK government has not responded to the panel’s recommendations. Critics say the issue threatens to damage Britain’s international credibility on human rights and decolonization.