UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to demand that Britain end its "colonial administration" of the Chagos Islands, which include the U.S. air base on Diego Garcia, and return them to Mauritius within six months.

The 193-member world body approved a resolution supporting an advisory opinion in February by the International Court of Justice that the Indian Ocean island chain be given back to Mauritius. The vote was 116-6 in favor, with 56 abstentions.

The General Assembly resolution, like the court's ruling, is not legally binding but it does carry weight since the ruling came from the U.N.'s highest court and the assembly vote reflects world opinion.

The court said in its opinion that Britain had unlawfully carved up Mauritius, which the Chagos Archipelago was a part of, in 1965 when Mauritius was a British colony. It said that "the United Kingdom is under an obligation to bring to an end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as rapidly as possible."

Britain disputes that the islands, which it calls the British Indian Ocean Territory, were ever a colony.

Britain's U.N. ambassador, Karen Pierce, told the assembly: "British Indian Ocean Territory has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. Mauritius has never held sovereignty over it and we do not recognize their claim."

Pierce expressed disappointment at the General Assembly vote, which saw only the U.S., Australia, Hungary, Israel and the Maldives support Britain.

But she said the islands remain under British sovereignty, "and it is not in our plan to give the islands to Mauritius."

Pierce said the United Kingdom stands by the 1965 agreement with the Mauritian Council of Ministers to detach the British Indian Ocean Territory in exchange for fishing rights and other benefits and a commitment "to cede the territory when it is no longer needed for defense purposes."

She stressed the importance of the U.S. and U.K defense facility on Diego Garcia to the safety and security of allies and friends, including Mauritius, in the region and beyond in the current "dangerous and uncertain" world.

"It is vital to efforts to combat conflict, terrorism, drugs, crime and piracy," Pierce said.

Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Juqnauth told the assembly the court's landmark opinion "confirms the longstanding position of Mauritius and Africa that the decolonization of Mauritius ... will not be completed until Mauritius is able to exercise sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago."

He said Mauritius "is extremely disappointed" in the position of the British government, noting that opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn "has made clear his respect and support for the court's conclusions."

Jugnauth said the 1965 agreement on the Chagos Archipelago "was carried out under duress."

The prime minister said Mauritius has made public commitments at the General Assembly and at the International Court of Justice "that it is prepared to enter into a long-term arrangement with the U.S., or with the U.K. and the U.S., which would permit the unhindered operation of the defense facility in accordance with international law."

Jugnauth said the court established the right of the people of Mauritius to self-determination which the U.K. violated "by excising the Chagos Archipelago" without their consent. He said all nations, including the United Kingdom, are obligated to comply with international law.

Britain evicted about 2,000 people from the Chagos Archipelago in the 1960s and 1970s so the U.S. military could build the air base on Diego Garcia. Many resettled in the U.K. and have fought in British courts to return to the islands.

Jugnauth said their forcible eviction "remains a very dark episode of human history akin to a crime against humanity." But he said the court's advisory opinion gave "these Mauritian nationals who are now mostly in their 70s and 80s "a glimmer of hope."

Jugnauth said the court left it to the General Assembly to decide how rapidly Britain should hand over the islands and the African group, which drafted the resolution, decided on six months.

"This is more than sufficient time to smoothly bring an end to an administration that consists of no more than a handful of personnel," he said. </s> Britain evicted about 2,000 people so the US military could build the air base on Diego Garcia

Britain should end its "colonial administration" of the Chagos Islands and return them to Mauritius within six months, the UN has demanded.

The 193-member world body approved a resolution supporting a finding by the International Court of Justice that the Indian Ocean island chain be given back to Mauritius.

The General Assembly resolution, like the court's ruling, is not legally binding but it does carry weight as it came from the UN's highest court, and the vote - 116-6 with 56 abstentions - reflects world opinion.

The court said in its opinion Britain had unlawfully carved up Mauritius, which the Chagos Archipelago was a part of, in 1965 when Mauritius was a British colony.

It said: "The United Kingdom is under an obligation to bring to an end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as rapidly as possible."

Britain evicted about 2,000 people from the Chagos Archipelago in the 1960s and 1970s so the US military could build its air base on Diego Garcia.

Many resettled in the UK and have fought in British courts to return to the islands.

Britain's UN ambassador, Karen Pierce, told the assembly: "British Indian Ocean Territory has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. Mauritius has never held sovereignty over it and we do not recognise their claim."

She added that the government stands by the 1965 agreement with the Mauritian Council of Ministers to detach the British Indian Ocean Territory in exchange for fishing rights and other benefits and a commitment "to cede the territory when it is no longer needed for defence purposes".

Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth told the assembly his country "is extremely disappointed" in the position of the British government.

Mr Jugnauth said the 1965 agreement on the Chagos Archipelago "was carried out under duress" and labelled the forcible eviction of islanders as "a very dark episode of human history akin to a crime against humanity". </s> One of the Chagos Islands - Diego Garcia - is home to a US military base

The UN has passed a resolution demanding the UK return control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

In the non-binding vote in the General Assembly in New York, 116 states were in favour and only six against, a major diplomatic blow to the UK.

Mauritius says it was forced to give up the Indian Ocean group - now a British overseas territory - in 1965 in exchange for independence.

In a statement to the BBC, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said Britain did not recognise Mauritius' claim to sovereignty but would stand by an earlier commitment to hand over control of the islands to Mauritius when they were no longer needed for defence purposes.

The US, Hungary, Israel, Australia and the Maldives were the states voting with the UK against the resolution.

It comes months after the UN's high court advised that the UK should leave the islands "as rapidly as possible".

Britain purchased the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 for £3m, creating a region known as the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Between 1967 and 1973, it evicted the islands' entire population to make way for a joint military base with the US, which is still in place on Diego Garcia.

US planes have been sent from the base to bomb Afghanistan and Iraq. The facility was also reportedly used as a "black site" by the CIA to interrogate terrorism suspects. In 2016, the lease for the base was extended until 2036.

"The joint UK-US defence facility on the British Indian Ocean Territory helps to keep people in Britain and around the world safe from terrorism, organised crime and piracy," the FCO said.

Before Wednesday's vote, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravid Kumar Jug-Nauth told the General Assembly the forcible eviction of Chagossians was akin to a crime against humanity.

However, he said Mauritius would allow the military base to continue operating "in accordance with international law", if it were given control of the islands.

Mr Jug-Nauth said this would give the facility a "higher degree of legal certainty" for the future.

The UK has maintained that Mauritius gave up the territory freely in return for a range of benefits.

Ambassador Pierce has insisted that the issue should be resolved only by the countries involved. </s> The United Nations has passed a resolution demanding the United Kingdom ends its administration of the Chagos Islands.

The General Assembly adopted a resolution based on findings by the UN’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) that Britain must hand back control of the archipelago to Mauritius within six months.

Britain forcibly evicted people from the islands, a sovereignty in the Indian Ocean disputed by the UK and Mauritius, in the 1960s and 1970s so the United States could build a military base.

On Wednesday, the UN Assembly backed by 116 votes to six a verdict by the ICJ that the UK’s detachment of the islands and their incorporation into the British Indian Ocean Territory was “unlawful”.

As well as the UK, the resolution was opposed by the United States, Australia, Hungary, Israel and the Maldives.

There were 56 abstentions, including France and Germany, from the vote, which is not legally binding but places huge diplomatic pressure on the UK.

A UN communique said: “Since the decolonisation of Mauritius was not conducted in a manner consistent with the right to self-determination, the Assembly affirmed, the continued administration of the Archipelago constitutes a wrongful act.

“It urged the United Kingdom to co-operate with Mauritius to facilitate the resettlement of Mauritian nationals, including those of Chagossian origin, in the Chagos Archipelago and to pose no impediment to such efforts.”

The Foreign Office said the joint UK-US defence facility on the British Indian Ocean Territory “helps to keep people in Britain and around the world safe from terrorism, organised crime and piracy”.

A spokesman said: “We have however made a longstanding commitment since 1965 to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer required for defence purposes. We stand by that commitment.”

On Wednesday, Karen Pierce, the UK’s ambassador to the UN, said the issue had not been for the ICJ as it was currently a “bilateral sovereignty dispute”.

She also said the resolution would “set an unwelcome precedent” over sovereignty disputes “that should be of concern to member states”.

Dame Karen said: “The United Kingdom regrets that the General Assembly has today voted to adopt this resolution.

“The United Kingdom fully recognises the importance of the issue of decolonisation and the UN’s role in that. The United Kingdom … sincerely regrets the manner in which Chagossians were removed from British Indian Ocean territory in the 1960s and the 1970s and we are determined to improve their lives where they have resettled.”

The UK agreed a package including £3 million with Mauritius for the detachment of the archipelago in 1965.

Chagossians were forcibly removed between 1967 and 1973 to make way for a US military facility on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the group.

Mauritius, which gained independence in 1968, maintains that the islands are its own and Chagossians have also brought cases in British courts for the right to return. </s> Image copyright Science Photo Library Image caption One of the Chagos Islands - Diego Garcia - is home to a US military base

The UN has passed a resolution demanding the UK return control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

In the non-binding vote in the General Assembly in New York, 116 states were in favour and only six against, a major diplomatic blow to the UK.

Fifty-six states, including France and Germany, abstained.

Mauritius says it was forced to give up the Indian Ocean group - now a British overseas territory - in 1965 in exchange for independence.

In a statement to the BBC, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said Britain did not recognise Mauritius' claim to sovereignty, but would stand by an earlier commitment to hand over control of the islands to Mauritius when they were no longer needed for defence purposes.

The US, Hungary, Israel, Australia and the Maldives were the states voting with the UK against the resolution.

It comes months after the UN's high court advised that the UK should leave the islands "as rapidly as possible".

UK warns of setting precedent

Analysis by Nada Tawfik, BBC News, New York

The fundamental question before the General Assembly was whether the decades-long dispute was at its heart a matter of decolonisation, or a bilateral sovereignty issue to be worked out between the UK and Mauritius alone.

The vote was decisive, with 115 countries standing with Mauritius.

Former colonies were also clear in their position. India said support for decolonisation was one of the most significant contributions that the UN had made towards the promotion of fundamental human rights.

UK ambassador to the UN Karen Pierce, along with the United States, warned that the vote would set a precedent that should be of concern to all member states with their own sovereignty disputes.

Britain purchased the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 for £3m, creating a region known as the British Indian Ocean Territory.

Between 1967 and 1973, it evicted the islands' entire population to make way for a joint military base with the US, which is still in place on Diego Garcia.

US planes have been sent from the base to bomb Afghanistan and Iraq. The facility was also reportedly used as a "black site" by the CIA to interrogate terrorism suspects. In 2016, the lease for the base was extended until 2036.

"The joint UK-US defence facility on the British Indian Ocean Territory helps to keep people in Britain and around the world safe from terrorism, organised crime and piracy," the FCO said.

Before Wednesday's vote, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravid Kumar Jug-Nauth told the General Assembly the forcible eviction of Chagossians was akin to a crime against humanity.

However, he said Mauritius would allow the military base to continue operating "in accordance with international law", if it were given control of the islands.

Mr Jug-Nauth said this would give the facility a "higher degree of legal certainty" for the future.

The UK has maintained that Mauritius gave up the territory freely in return for a range of benefits.

Ambassador Pierce has insisted that the issue should be resolved only by the countries involved. </s> The United Kingdom must give the Chagos Islands back to Mauritius 'as rapidly as possible', the United Nations' highest court has said.

Britain forcibly evicted people from the Chagos Archipelago, a sovereignty in the Indian Ocean disputed by the UK and Mauritius, in the 1960s and 1970s.

The island was then used by the United States as a military base.

Judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), in The Hague, said on Monday that the UK's detachment of the islands and their incorporation into the British Indian Ocean Territory was 'unlawful'.

The UK's ongoing administration is a 'wrongful act', according to an advisory opinion given by the court, which is not binding.

The Chagos Islands were first conceded to Britain in 1965 during Maurituis' campaign for independence - which was granted in 1968.

But Mauritius claims it was forced to give up the islands and the ICJ has advised the UK to hand back control.

The ICJ said: 'The court finds that the process of decolonisation of Mauritius was not lawfully completed when that country acceded to independence and that the United Kingdom is under an obligation to bring to an end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as rapidly as possible.'

The UK agreed a package including £3 million with Mauritius for the detachment of the archipelago in 1965.

Chagossians were forcibly removed between 1967 and 1973 to make way for a US military facility on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the group.

Mauritius, which gained independence in 1968, maintains the islands are its own and Chagossians have also brought cases in British courts for the right to return.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: 'This is an advisory opinion, not a judgment. Of course, we will look at the detail of it carefully.

'The defence facilities on the British Indian Ocean Territory help to protect people here in Britain and around the world from terrorist threats, organised crime and piracy.'

The ICJ said the opinion the UK should ends its administration was given with a majority of 13 votes to one.

Another part of its advisory opinion which said 'member states are under an obligation to co-operate with the United Nations in order to complete the decolonisation' was given with the same majority.

'After recalling the circumstances in which the colony of Mauritius agreed in principle to such a detachment, the court considers that this detachment was not based on the free and genuine expression of the will of the people concerned,' the ICJ said.

The resettlement of Mauritian nationals on the islands should be 'addressed by the General Assembly' during the completion of decolonisation, it added.

About 2,000 people were evicted from the islands, with many resettling in Britain, Mauritius and Seychelles.

The UK has said the islands will be returned to Mauritius when the need for military facilities ends.

Rosa Curling, a solicitor with law firm Leigh Day, who represents Solange Hoareau, a Chagossian woman fighting a legal battle to return, said: 'We are considering the judgment carefully with our client, but clearly the UK should stop breaching international law.

'The time has come to allow the islanders to return home.' </s> Mauritius supported by 94 nations in move to consult The Hague over colonial hold of Indian Ocean territory by British

The UK has suffered a humiliating defeat at the United Nations general assembly in a vote over decolonisation and its residual hold over disputed territory in the Indian Ocean.

By a margin of 94 to 15 countries, delegates supported a Mauritian-backed resolution to seek an advisory opinion from the international court of justice (ICJ) in The Hague on the legal status of the Chagos Islands.

Britain in danger of losing vote in UN over fate of Chagos Islands Read more

A further 65 countries abstained on Thursday, including many EU states who might have been expected to vote in support of another bloc member.

Among EU members who abstained were France, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia, Greece and Finland. Canada and Switzerland also abstained.

Speaking after the vote Jagdish Koonjul, the Mauritian representative at the UN, said: “I’m elated. The results are beyond my expectations. It’s interesting that the EU didn’t support the UK. Even some of the countries that supported the UK agreed that this was an issue of decolonisation. Now we wait to see what the UK will do as a result of the vote. We have given the US full comfort of a long-term lease [for the Diego Garcia base] that would be renewable [if sovereignty passed to Mauritius].”

The resolution, though only in favour of obtaining a non-binding legal opinion, is a blow to the UK’s international prestige and demonstrates the limited diplomatic influence wielded by the British foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, at the UN.

Philippe Sands (@philippesands) #UNGA votes overwhelmingly to refer the questions of #Chagos #selfdetermination and decolonisation of #Mauritius to #ICJ pic.twitter.com/oEarRFurUc

The row between Mauritius and the UK – over what Britain terms BIOT, or British Indian Ocean Territory – has become increasingly acrimonious in recent years.

In 1965, three years before Mauritius was granted independence, the UK decided to separate the Chagos Islands, an archipelago, from the rest of its Indian Ocean colony. The Mauritian government claims this was in breach of UN resolution 1514, passed in 1960, which specifically banned the breakup of colonies before independence.

Most of the 1,500 islanders were deported so that the largest island, Diego Garcia, could be leased to the US for a strategic airbase in 1971. The US was one of the few countries that publicly backed the UK over the islands’ fate. The islanders have never been allowed to return home.

The UK has promised to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius when they are no longer needed for defence purposes, but has refused to give a date.

Two years ago Mauritius won a ruling at the permanent court of arbitration at The Hague saying Britain had acted illegally in the way it had exercised territorial control over the Chagos Islands. The court criticised the UK for failing to consult over establishing a marine protection zone around what is now the British Indian Ocean Territory.

The fact that Diego Garcia was used by the CIA after 9/11 in rendition and interrogation operations may have alienated many states from the UK’s cause.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Diego Garcia, the Chagos island which hosts a US military base leased from Britain. Photograph: Reuters

Urging delegates at the UN general assembly to oppose the resolution, the UK permanent representative, Matthew Rycroft, warned: “This could set a precedent that many of you in this hall could come to regret.” He added that “the resolution for an advisory opinion is an attempt by the government of Mauritius to circumvent the principle” – referring to the principle that a state could only be involved at the ICJ through its own consent.

The UK, Rycroft added, would not consent to the Chagos Islands being taken to the court. The dispute, he said, should be left as a bilateral issue for the UK and Mauritius to deal with through direct negotiations, and that the Chagos Islands were still needed for security purposes.

Chagos islanders go to supreme court in battle to be allowed home Read more

Philipe Sands QC, who attended the UN debate, and is acting as legal counsel for Mauritius, said: “The vote, passed with an overwhelming majority, sends a strong signal about the UN’s attachment to decolonisation. That Britain was able to obtain the support of barely a dozen countries, including just four EU members and no permanent member of the security council apart from the US, will, hopefully, give it pause for thought about its position on Chagos.

“Its arguments that Chagos is about security and a bilateral matter between it and Mauritius were given short shrift. The message is clear: the UN wants the world court to rule on Chagos, and seeks the court’s advice and assistance in bringing colonialism to an end.”

Advisory opinions at the ICJ are normally triggered by a formal request from the UN secretary general. The court can request submissions from member states and those involved in a dispute.

Although its findings are normally non binding, the ICJ’s advisory opinions carry some legal influence and moral authority.

The Foreign Office labelled the outcome “disappointing”.

“Sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory is clearly a matter for the UK and Mauritius to resolve ourselves. Taking this dispute to the international court of justice is an inappropriate use of the ICJ mechanism. This is reflected in the fact that over half of General Assembly members did not vote for the resolution,” a Foreign Office spokesperson said.

“While we do not recognise Mauritius’s claim to sovereignty over the islands, we have committed to cede them to Mauritius when the territory is no longer required for defence purposes. We will be robustly defending our position at the ICJ.”

David Snoxell, coordinator of the all party parliamentary group on the Chagos Islands and a former British diplomat, welcomed the UN vote.

“This was a brilliant result for Mauritius and the Chagossians. Apart from the sovereignty issue, now referred to the ICJ, the resolution was a means of bringing to the attention of the UN general assembly the travesty of the UK’s treatment of the Chagossian people since 1965 when the [general assembly] last considered the Chagos Islands,” Snoxell said.

“174 states took part in the debate but only 15 sided with the UK. That sends a clear message to the British government that the UN expects the UK to bring this relic of the cold war to an end.” </s> The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to demand that Britain end its "colonial administration" of the Chagos Islands, which include the U.S. air base on Diego Garcia, and return them to Mauritius within six months. The 193-member world body approved a resolution supporting an advisory opinion in February by the International Court of Justice that the Indian Ocean island chain be given back to Mauritius. The vote was 116-6 in favor, with 56 abstentions. The General Assembly resolution, like the court's ruling, is not legally binding but it does carry weight since the ruling came from the U.N.'s highest court and the assembly vote reflects world opinion.

The court said in its opinion that Britain had unlawfully carved up Mauritius, which the Chagos Archipelago was a part of, in 1965 when Mauritius was a British colony. It said that "the United Kingdom is under an obligation to bring to an end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as rapidly as possible."

Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth said the court established the right of the people of Mauritius to self-determination which the U.K. violated "by excising the Chagos Archipelago" without their consent. He said all nations, including the United Kingdom, are obligated to comply with international law. Britain evicted about 2,000 people from the Chagos Archipelago in the 1960s and 1970s so the U.S. military could build the air base on Diego Garcia. Many resettled in the U.K. and have fought in British courts to return to the islands. </s> • UN asks Britain to unconditionally withdraw its colonisation of Chagos Islands.
• The General Assembly affirms that doing so — in accordance with the advisory opinion — would enable Mauritius to complete the decolonisation of its territory as soon as possible.
• UK government says it will only be handed over the islands to Mauritius when it is no longer needed.

The United Nations has asked Britain to unconditionally withdraw its colonisation of Chagos Islands and return it to Mauritius as soon as possible.

At its 73rd session and 84th meeting on Wednesday, the General Assembly of the UN adopted a resolution of the International Court of Justice advisory opinion on the legal consequences of separating the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965.

By a recorded vote of 116 in favour to 6 against (Australia, Hungary, Israel, Maldives, United Kingdom, United States), with 56 abstentions, the Assembly affirmed that doing so — in accordance with the advisory opinion — would enable Mauritius to complete the decolonisation of its territory as soon as possible.

ALSO READ: Opinion: The UK’s attitude over Mauritius’s Chagos Islands is sickening to the core and it is high time African countries face up to this colonial hangover

The world body affirmed the decolonisation of Mauritius by the UK was not conducted in a manner consistent with the right of self-determination.

Last February, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), United Nations’ highest court ruled that continued British occupation of the remote Indian Ocean archipelago is illegal and ordered the UK to hand back the Chagos Islands to Mauritius “as rapidly as possible”.

Delivering judgement, the president of the ICJ, Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, said the detachment of the Chagos archipelago in 1965 from Mauritius had not been based on a “free and genuine expression of the people concerned”.

“This continued administration constitutes a wrongful act,” he had said.

The British government purchased the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 for £3 million to create British Indian Ocean Territory but the African nation claimed that it was forcefully ceded in exchange for independence.

Between 1967 and 1973, Britain evicted the islands' entire population to make way for a joint military base with the US, which is still in place on Diego Garcia.

The UK government has also said it will only be handed over control of the islands to Mauritius when they were no longer needed for defence purposes.
The United Nations General Assembly passes a non-binding resolution demanding the United Kingdom return control of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius. The Mauritians claim they were forced to give up the islands to the British in 1965 in exchange for independence.