The High Court of Justice in London has refused permission for legal proceedings to proceed against the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office over the United Kingdom’s agreement with Mauritius concerning the sovereignty of the Chagos Archipelago. The case was brought by three plaintiffs, including Bertrice Pompe, a British national born on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago. The applicants argued that the United Kingdom government failed to consult the Chagossian community before concluding the agreement with Mauritius. Pompe had previously attempted to block the deal in court in May 2025 but was unsuccessful.
In a written judgment, Judge Mary Stacey acknowledged what she described as the “long and shameful history” of the treatment of the Chagos Islanders. During the 1960s and 1970s, the UK government expelled thousands of Chagossians from the islands to allow the construction of a strategic military facility. However, the judge ruled that the current challenge largely repeated legal arguments that had already been examined and rejected in earlier court cases involving the Chagos Islands. As a result, the court declined to grant permission for the case to proceed.
The Chagos Islands dispute has been one of the most controversial legacies of Britain’s colonial era. The UK separated the archipelago from Mauritius before Mauritian independence in 1968 and retained control of the territory, later establishing a joint military base with the United States on Diego Garcia. In May 2025, the British government announced an agreement to return sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius while maintaining a long-term lease on Diego Garcia for continued military operations. The base is considered strategically important for US and allied operations in the Indian Ocean region. The decision has been welcomed by Mauritius but criticized by some members of the displaced Chagossian community who argue they have not been adequately consulted about the future of their homeland.
