Chagos Islands: Reflecting on Five Decades of Injustice

Land rights are deeply rooted in South Africa’s Constitution. As South Africans, we have experienced the terrible legacy of forced removals.

These sentiments were shared by Dr Maureen Tong, the Vice-Chair of UKZN’s Council at the University’s Human Rights Day webinar, which aimed to highlight the plight of Chagos – often referred to as Britain’s last African colony.

Under the theme “Deepening a Culture of Social Justice and the Right to Return: The Chagos Islands, South Africa, and Global Lessons for the Struggle for Human Rights”, the webinar provided a platform for Chagossians to share their experiences of forced displacement to make way for a US military base in the Indian Ocean.

Executive Director of Corporate Relations, Ms Normah Zondo, encouraged Chagossians to ‘keep fighting’ and underlined the importance of global conversations on social justice, displacement and the fundamental right to return. ‘Human rights are not just ideals written in charters; they are lived struggles – fought for and too often denied,’ said Zondo.

Mr Louis Olivier Bancoult, Chairman of the Chagos Refugees Group, described his lived experiences – detailing how he was forcibly removed from his home country at the age of four and transported to Mauritius. ‘We have been suffering for more than 50 years,’ he said, outlining the legal battles they have been engaged in for their fundamental rights and dignity.

‘Based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – if you are born in a place, article nine says clearly, you have a right to live at your birth-place,’ said Bancoult, underscoring the importance of reparations and being allowed to return home.

Professor Siphamandla Zondi, Director of the Institute for Pan African Thought and Conversation at the University of Johannesburg, spoke about how the African continent has collectively responded to this issue.

He reinforced calls for reparations and highlighted the fundamental right to self-determination.

Mr Pierre Prosper, Chair of the Chagossians Committee Seychelles emphasised the ongoing legal, political and diplomatic fights. ‘We’ve tried all forms of strategies as far as the British government is concerned to find a middle ground and to find consensus… late last year, the British government decided to return sovereignty to the Mauritian government,’ he said.

Prosper, a Chagossian who lives in the Seychelles, outlined concerns, but said they were hopeful.

Professor David Vine, a political anthropologist and author of a trilogy of books about war and peace, said, ‘This is a story of stolen land. But Chagossians are closer than ever to finally winning some measure of justice.’

He cautioned against fake news and fear-mongering. ‘Ignore the lies about the Chagos Islands – if you have Googled Chagos Islands, you will see a lot of so-called “fake news”. There has been a concerted right-wing campaign in the UK and the US since the deal was announced in October that this is a gift to China or perhaps to Russia or Iran. These are absolute lies and fear-mongering.’

Vine, a former academic at American University in Washington, D.C., spent a semester at the University of Durban-Westville in 1995. He commended South Africans for their decades-long struggle for freedom and their continued support for Chagossians and other communities fighting for fundamental human rights, including Palestinians.

To view the webinar, click here.

Words: Raylene Captain-Hasthibeer

Image: Supplied