Courtesy: mvemilygrace

History

Early Exploration and European Discovery

1512: Likely first sighted by Portuguese explorers (possibly Pedro de Mascarenhas), though they did not settle.
16th–18th centuries: Uninhabited and visited only occasionally by passing European ships for fresh water, wood, and anchorage.

Courtesy: Clément Siatous

French Period (1715–1810)

1715: France claims Mauritius and surrounding islands, including the Chagos Archipelago, as part of Isle de France.
1770s: The first French settlers arrive with enslaved Africans, setting up coconut plantations (copra production) on Peros Banhos and Diego Garcia.
1786: Full plantation settlement begins on several islands.
1793: Chagos Archipelago administered from Mauritius by the French colonial government.

British Rule Begins (1810 –1965)

1810: Britain captures Mauritius and its dependencies (including Chagos) from France during the Napoleonic Wars.
1814: Treaty of Paris confirms British sovereignty.
19th century: Chagos administered as a dependency of Mauritius, with continued copra production using imported labor from Seychelles, Madagascar, Mozambique, and India.

Establishment of British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT)

1965: Britain detaches Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius prior to granting Mauritian independence, creating the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).
- In exchange, Mauritius receives £3 million compensation.
1966: Britain signs an agreement with the United States to establish a military base on Diego Garcia.

Forced Removal and Exile of Chagossians

1967–1973: The entire Chagossian (Ilois) population (approx. 1,500–2,000 people) is forcibly removed to Mauritius and Seychelles to make way for the U.S. military base.
1971: Construction of Diego Garcia Naval Base begins. All civilian settlements are destroyed.

Legal Battles and International Condemnation

2000: UK High Court rules the expulsion of Chagossians was unlawful; later overturned by Orders in Council.
2004–2008: Renewed legal action by Chagossians fails in UK courts.
2015: A UK Supreme Court decision blocks Chagossian return.

International Rulings and Pressure

2017: UN General Assembly refers the Chagos dispute to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
2019: ICJ advisory opinion rules UK’s continued administration of Chagos as unlawful; urges return to Mauritius.
2019: UN General Assembly votes overwhelmingly (116–6) calling on the UK to return Chagos to Mauritius.
2021: International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) rules in favor of Mauritius in a maritime boundary dispute, recognizing its sovereignty over Chagos.

Courtesy: Lexpress.mu

Recent Developments

2022–2023: UK and Mauritius enter negotiations over the future of Chagos.
2025 (May): Historic Mauritius - UK Agreement. Sovereignty back to Mauritius. Chagossians can return Home (except DIEGO).
2025 (June): "Landmark" International Workshop in Mauritius at the initiative of the Chagos Refugees Group, Dentons Mauritius, Harvard Institute for Global Law and Policy, and the University of Texas Rapoport Center for Human Rights and attended by other International Scholars to discuss a legal framework for the Resettlement in the Chagos Islands.

Courtesy: inkl.com