Four individuals with ties to the Chagos Islands found themselves facing eviction orders from British officials after arriving on a remote atoll earlier this week in what they hoped would disrupt Britain’s plans to hand over the territory to Mauritius.
The group touched down Monday on Ile du Coin, located within the Peros Banhos atoll, with additional people expected to join what organizers described as a permanent community.
A British Foreign Office representative condemned their arrival as an “illegal, unsafe stunt” that would not assist the collaborative efforts between the UK and Mauritius to restart heritage visit programs to the Chagos Islands.
According to a 2025 deal, Britain plans to hand over control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius while maintaining authority over the strategically vital U.S.-UK military facility on Diego Garcia through a 99-year lease arrangement.
British politician Nigel Farage, who leads the Reform UK party, described the four as British passport holders attempting to “reclaim their birthright” and indicated he was researching legal options to assist them.
“They were this morning served an eviction notice on behalf of the British government, and told that unless they comply, they could face up to three years in prison,” he stated during a London press conference.
Documents reviewed by Reuters show the eviction notices, sent to each individual by a British Indian Ocean Territory immigration officer, declared their presence unlawful and ordered their departure.
The paperwork cautioned that violating the directive by returning would constitute a criminal act carrying penalties of up to three years behind bars, a fine of 3,000 pounds sterling ($4,060), or both punishments combined.
During the 1960s and 1970s, as many as 2,000 Chagossians were forced from their homes in the archipelago and relocated primarily to Mauritius and Britain.
Some Chagossians have voiced opposition to the sovereignty transfer agreement, claiming Mauritius has ignored their needs for decades, though Mauritius disputes these accusations.
