UN court says UK control of Chagos Islands should end

The UN’s highest court has instructed the UK to end its control of the Chagos Islands.

The International Court of Justice has ruled that the archipelago, a British overseas territory in the Indian Ocean, was not lawfully separated from Mauritius when Britain granted that country independence in 1968.

The British evicted the entire population before inviting the United States to build a military base on Diego Garcia, one of the larger atolls.

The Foreign Office described the ruling as an “advisory opinion, not a judgment”.

We speak to Emmanuel Ally, a Chagossian who lives here now and campaigns with the UK Chagos Support Association.