UN urges the UK to Cede Chagos Island of Mauritius

Recently, the UN voted in favour of Mauritius and thereby asked the UK to leave Chagos Island and the colonial rule within 6 months. Before independence, Mauritius agreed to the 1965 agreement for the separation of the Chagos Island to the UK fearing as the Independence would not be granted. After that UK leased Diego Garcia to the United States, a third party in the Indian Ocean military base. In the year 2017, UN general assembly moved a resolution in Un General Assembly and was adopted by the UNGA.

The resolution has asked the International Court of Justice to give an opinion on the issue of whether the action of the UK is or not. The opinion is not binding on the UK as it is just advice. The opinion will directly point on whether the carving out of Chagos Island from Mauritius is against the International Law or not. Thus, in a tone of the advisory opinion, the ICJ has said that Britain is liable to end its administration of the Chagos and end colonization.

ICJ has said that the agreement was against the freely expressed and genuine will of the people of the Chagos Island. Also, the original agreement between Mauritius and the UK does not tell anything about a third party involvement in the obtained territory with the US base in the Diego Garcia. And again, this opinion is advisory and not judgment and so it is not binding on the UK to act on it.