Exclusive: A group representing indigenous Chagossians are gearing up to challenge the government’s controversial deal to hand over the archipelago to Mauritius. A group of indigenous Chagossian people have instructed lawyers to challenge the controversial Chagos deal, in yet another blow to the government’s beleaguered agreement.
![[David Lammy was accused of misleading the Commons]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/01/23/11/newFile-12.jpg)
It comes as the deal faces criticism from all sides, Donald Trump threatening to veto it, the new Mauritian government demanding further concessions from Britain and concerns being raised by the government’s own Labour MPs. Now, The Independent understands that Chagossian Voices, a group representing people who originate from the Chagos Islands, has sought legal advice and is willing to take the government to court over the plans.
The government announced a deal to hand over the islands to Mauritius in October 2024, which is meant to secure the future of a secretive military base on the island of Diego Garcia. But it is understood the group wants to pursue all options to ensure that the deal does not go ahead, rejecting Mauritian sovereignty over the archipelago, which is located some 1,680 kilometres north-east of the Indian Ocean nation.
They have pointed out that the Chagossian people – who were forcibly removed from Chagos more than 50 years ago to make way for the military base - have their own language and culture entirely separate to Mauritius. They also claim that they were not consulted on the agreement. Frankie Bontemps, a founding member of Chagossian Voices, said people who originate from the islands feel both “powerless and voiceless” in making decisions about their futures.
