Chagos Leader Bancoult Urges Respect for BIOT Eviction Ruling

Olivier Bancoult, the long-standing leader of the Groupe Réfugiés Chagos (Chagos Refugees Group), has called on all parties to respect a ruling handed down on November 12 by the Court of Appeal of the British Indian Ocean Territory, known by its acronym BIOT.

The court upheld expulsion notices served on Misley Mandarin and three other Chagossians who had settled without authorisation on Ile du Coin, one of the islands in the Chagos Archipelago. In doing so, the appeals court overturned an earlier lower-court judgment that had gone in favour of the settlers.

The Chagos Archipelago, situated in the central Indian Ocean, was separated from Mauritius by Britain in 1965, three years before Mauritian independence. Its indigenous Chagossian population was forcibly removed between 1967 and 1973 to make way for a major US military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the group. Chagossians and their descendants have fought for decades for the right to return.

BIOT is the name Britain gave to the territory after the separation. It has no permanent civilian administration of its own, and its courts handle the small number of legal cases arising from the islands, most of which relate to the rights and status of Chagossians who attempt to resettle there.

Bancoult's call for compliance with the ruling is significant because it places him in an uncomfortable position. As the most prominent advocate for Chagossian rights, he has spent years arguing for the community's right to return to their ancestral homeland. Yet his statement signals that he believes returns must follow a lawful and orderly process, not unilateral settlement.

The case of Misley Mandarin and the three others illustrates the ongoing tension between the broader political claim of Chagossians to their islands and the legal framework currently governing access to the territory. Those who settle without authorisation risk expulsion, regardless of their ancestral connection to the islands.

The Chagos question has gained renewed international attention in recent years. Mauritius and the United Kingdom reached a preliminary agreement in October 2024 on the sovereignty of the archipelago, under which Mauritius would gain sovereignty while the UK and US retain use of the Diego Garcia military base under a long-term lease. However, that deal has faced political headwinds in both London and Washington, leaving the future status of the islands uncertain.

What this means: For Chagossians hoping to return, the ruling is a reminder that individual settlement attempts outside any agreed framework carry serious legal risk. For the broader sovereignty negotiations, Bancoult's stance suggests that the recognised leadership of the Chagossian community favours a structured, negotiated return rather than informal resettlement, which could carry weight in any future talks about the right of return.

Source: Le Defi Media