An IMGW News Report
Britain’s decision to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has sparked a silent exodus. Chagossians, the descendants of islanders exiled in the 1960s to make way for a US-UK military base on Diego Garcia, are now arriving in significant numbers at British airports, asserting their right to live in the UK – rights conferred upon them by the Blair government in 2002.
Situated in the heart of the Indian Ocean, the Chagos Archipelago lies roughly 1,500 miles south of India and about the same distance east of mainland Africa. Comprising more than 60 small islands spread over 10,000 square miles of ocean, the territory includes Diego Garcia – the largest and only inhabited island – currently hosting a major Anglo-American military base. Though remote and uninhabitable for most, the atolls and reefs hold strategic value, and their transfer to Mauritius marks a significant redrawing of Britain’s post-colonial footprint in the region.
Since late 2024, Hillingdon Council, which includes Heathrow Airport, has reported over 340 new arrivals from the Chagos community, many of whom lack onward plans and require immediate housing. Similar trends are emerging at Manchester and Gatwick. The council estimates the cost of supporting these arrivals could reach £1.2 million annually – expenses not matched by central government funding, which currently covers just 10 days of accommodation per family.
The migration follows Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to formalise the handover of the archipelago to Mauritius – a move long demanded by Port Louis but fiercely contested by many within the Chagossian diaspora. Concerns have arisen that returning sovereignty would effectively render Chagossians Mauritian citizens—an identity many reject.
Critics of the agreement, including Conservative MPs and Hillingdon’s leadership, have condemned the arrangement as a “surrender”, citing national security risks and the failure to consult Chagossians thoroughly. Yet the Mauritius-based Chagos Refugees Group welcomed the deal as an overdue correction of colonial injustice.
For now, Britain finds itself confronting an uncomfortable legacy—one in which past imperial decisions continue to reverberate across its borders and balance sheets.
