Mauritius to Chagossians: We’ll let you resettle, if you wish

Mauritius has vowed that anyone of Chagossian origin will be able to resettle in the disputed Chagos archipelago that is being disputed by both Mauritius and Britain.

The comments by the Mauritian Prime Minister’s Office follow a Human Rights Watch report which accused Britain and the United States of crimes against humanity over the mass deportation of Indigenous people from the Chagos islands in the 1960s and 70s.

“The government of Mauritius has always maintained that the forcible displacement of the entire Chagossian community was a terrible wrong and that justice must be done,” Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth’s office said in a statement.

It said the government was committed to an “effective and speedy” resettlement plan.

“All individuals of Chagossian origin, wherever they live in the world, who wish to resettle in the Chagos archipelago, will be able to do so in accordance with the laws of Mauritius.”

In its 106-page report, HRW said the UK’s “racial persecution, and continued blocking of their return home”, with Washington’s support, constituted an “ongoing colonial crime”.

Source: AFP