Fears for future of Falklands after 'disaster' Chagos deal

Chagossians plan to hold protest demanding views be heard

- MILLIE COOKE

Concerns have been raised over the future of the Falkland Islands after the UK gave up control of a remote archipelago, sparking anger from indigenous campaigners and MPs. In a move that has since been dubbed a “strategic disaster”, the government on Thursday said it had reached a political agreement to hand the Chagos Islands over to Mauritius following negotiations that began in 2022.

The deal is meant to secure the future of a secretive military base on the island of Diego Garcia, but it has left the UK without sovereign territorial control over a piece of land in the Indian Ocean that is crucial to Western security. While the USUK base will remain on the island, the agreement has triggered fears that China could be permitted to establish its own bases in the Chagos Islands, as well as raising concerns that Britain's control of the Falklands could be under threat.

It has also sparked anger among indigenous Chagossians, who have accused the government of excluding them from talks. Chagossian Voices, a group representing indigenous people from the Chagos Islands, is planning to stage a protest over the decision at Westminster on Monday, The Independent understands. They said their views have been "consistently and deliberately ignored", and are demanding full inclusion in the drafting of the treaty.

The group claim to have learnt the outcome of the negotiations via the media, and complained that indigenous Chagossians feel "powerless and voiceless in determining our own future". They are calling for the archipelago to remain under British protection.