Chagos Expulsion and Bases
Depopulating an archipelago for a US base
Britain split the Chagos Islands from Mauritius and forcibly removed the entire population to make way for a US military base on Diego Garcia. The Chagossians were exiled for half a century and barred from return.
Damage
Britain expelled Chagos Islanders to build a strategic base for US/UK power projection.
Lives lost
Entire population displaced; deaths and hardship in exile (community-scale)
Value lost
Homeland and livelihood erased for basing real estate
Record Points
- In the late 1960s Britain detached the Chagos to create the British Indian Ocean Territory.
- Between 1968 and 1973 the roughly 1,500 to 2,000 islanders were deported to Mauritius and Seychelles.
- Diego Garcia became a major US base used for bombing campaigns and reported rendition stopovers.
- In 2019 the International Court of Justice ruled the UK's continued control unlawful.
- A 2024 deal returned sovereignty to Mauritius while keeping the base on a long lease.
Perpetrator(s)
Victims
Chagos Islanders