No reply by Foreign Office to Chagossian campaigners
Bertrice Pompe & Bernadette Dugasse, High Court, 5 December 2024/ALEXIA PSALTI
Two Chagossian campaigners opposed to the Government’s Chagos Islands sovereignty deal with Mauritius still haven’t received a reply from the Foreign Office to their letter threatening court action.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy and his department the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) were asked by the campaigners’ lawyers to reply to the letter before action on 25 March. A reply has still not been received.
Campaigners Bernadette Dugasse and Bertrice Pompe argue that the islands should remain British. Both campaigners were born on one of the islands called Diego Garcia, a British Overseas Territory.
They claim it is unlawful for the Chagossian people to have not had a say in the future of their native land. Concerns about racial discrimination and the possibility of not being able to return to live on the islands if handed to Mauritius were also raised.
Sources told THE CHAGOS FILES reporter Tessa Clarke this week that they expected a reply yesterday. However the Foreign Office would not confirm when they would reply.
“We do not comment on potential legal challenges,” a FCDO spokesperson told THE CHAGOS FILES. “The negotiations were between the UK and Mauritius with our priority being to secure the full operation of the base on Diego Garcia.”
The spokesperson added, “However we have worked to ensure this agreement reflects the importance of the islands to Chagossians.”
As part of the sovereignty deal agreed in principle with Mauritius, the British Government will finance a new Trust Fund in support of the Chagossian community. The fund will be given to the Mauritian government to distribute.
Visits for Chagossians to the Chagos Archipelago are being planned by the UK. It will be up to Mauritius to plan a programme of resettlement on the islands, other than Diego Garcia.
Tessa Clarke & Alexia Psalti/26.3.25/UPDATED 28.3.25