Four Chagossians return to islands in attempt to stop British transfer to Mauritius

"Misley Mandarin, leader of the four people who landed on Monday on the remote Ile 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. Mandarin, who was born in Mauritius, told Reuters that his father, Michel Mandarin, 74, was with him and had been removed from the island aged 14. I am not in exile any more. This is my homeland, he said, adding that he wanted to make it possible for the 322 people who he said were born on Ile du Coin and still alive to come home before they die. He sought to reassure the US that the settlement did not threaten the military base on Diego Garcia."

"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. Up to 2,000 Chagossians were forcibly removed from the archipelago in the 1960s and 1970s and resettled mainly in Mauritius and Britain, with many wanting the right to return to their homeland."

Four Chagos Islanders landed on Ile du Coin atoll seeking to establish a permanent settlement and to enable displaced islanders to return. The group is living in tents and expects further arrivals in the coming weeks and year. Misley Mandarin and his elderly father are among those who aim to facilitate returns for hundreds born on the atoll. Britain and Mauritius reached a 2025 agreement to transfer sovereignty while leasing Diego Garcia for 99 years to maintain a US-UK military base. Mauritius called the landing illegal and a publicity stunt. The UN committee urged against ratifying the 2025 deal, citing rights concerns.

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