"While most of the coverage and debate focused on the US military base on Diego Garcia island, little attention has been given to the sordid story of US and UK involvement in ongoing crimes against humanity against the islands' Indigenous people the Chagossians. The Chagossians, whose island homeland is in the middle of the Indian Ocean, are largely descended from formerly enslaved East Africans."
"More than 60 years ago, US officials decided that the largest island, Diego Garcia, would be a suitable location for a remote military base. The US saw the Chagossian population as a problem, as they wanted the island clean of inhabitants. Over the next decade, they secretly plotted with the UK the colonial power governing Chagos through a manufactured story based on racism and lies, to force the islanders from their home."
Last year's deal transferred Chagos sovereignty to Mauritius but left US and UK responsibility for crimes against the Chagossians unresolved. Attention focused on the US military base on Diego Garcia while the forced displacement of the Chagossians, largely descended from formerly enslaved East Africans, received little notice. US and UK officials secretly plotted to clear the islands for a base; from 1967 to 1973 up to 2,000 islanders were expelled, and dogs were gassed. Diego Garcia has been operated by the US for over 50 years. Many Chagossians live in exile in poverty in the UK, Mauritius, and the Seychelles and have been prevented from returning.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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