Keir Starmer signs 'Rwanda-style' deal to deport migrants from Chagos Islands to territory

19 October 2024, 15:53

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has struck a 'Rwanda-style' deal to deport migrants from Chagos Islands to the British territory of St Helena.

The agreement will see the government of St Helena accepting £6.65m to accept migrants who travel to the Chagos Islands in small boats.

St Helena is situated more than 5,000 miles away from the Chagos Islands.

The deal comes after the UK ended an eleven year dispute over the key military base, and Britain's last African colony, when it handed the Chagos Islands back to Mauritius.

Read more: Keir Starmer insists the Falkland Islands 'will remain British' despite Chagos handover

Read more: UK to return Chagos Islands to Mauritius, ending years of dispute over military base and Britain’s last African colony

Chagossians were removed from the island in the 1960s and 1970s to make way for the military base, in what Human Rights Watch described as "crimes against humanity".

The handover deal still allows the UK to retain the long-term future of a strategically important joint US-UK military base on Diego Garcia, the largest of the islands

St Helena will reportedly accept migrants in the 'Rwanda-style' deal for around 18 months, until the agreement is fully fleshed out.

Once the Chagos Islands are officially returned to Mauritius, Chagos will oversee the migrant arrivals.

The deal does not work retrospectively, with only migrants who arrive to Diego Garcia from now set to fall under the rules of the new deal.

The agreement has come under fire by residents of St Helena.

A councillor from the British territory expressed concerns about migrants causing 'a cultural shock': "We are a very small island. There are less than 4,500 people who are resident on St Helena, so any influx to the island would have an impact.

“This is the kind of place where you know pretty much anyone you pass on the street on a first-name basis. The cultural shock alone would have a big impact.”

Julie Thomas, chief minister of St Helena, praised the 'Rwanda-style' deal struck by Starmer, calling it a 'unique opportunity' to support the UK:

“We are pleased to be able to work in close partnership with the UK government towards a mutually beneficial solution."

Sources from the Foreign Office reportedly told The Telegraph that migrants risk impacting the operation of the air base.

The UK and US will still oversee the air base even after the Chagos Islands are returned to Mauritius.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: "This Government inherited a situation where the long-term, secure operation of the Diego Garcia military base was under threat, with contested sovereignty and ongoing legal challenges."

He added that the handover deal will: "strengthen our role in safeguarding global security, shut down any possibility of the Indian Ocean being used as a dangerous illegal migration route to the UK, as well as guaranteeing our long-term relationship with Mauritius, a close Commonwealth partner."

Although, concerns have been raised that the agreement could allow China to mark its mark on the Chagos Islands by forming its own bases.

The move has also come under fire from indigenous people in the Chagos Islands. Chargossian Voices, who represent this group, have claimed that their views have been "consistently and deliberately ignored" throughout the process.

The expulsions of Chagossians are regarded as one of the most shameful parts of Britain’s modern colonial history and Chagossians have spent decades fighting to return to the islands.

The United Nations’ International Court of Justice, previously ruled the UK’s administration of the territory was "unlawful" and must end.

A government spokesperson said: "This government inherited a deeply troubling situation which remained unresolved under the last administration for years after the migrants’ arrival on Diego Garcia, resulting in mounting legal challenges.

"The British Indian Ocean Territory has never been a suitable long-term location for migrants. Ministers have worked hard to find solutions and contingency plans which protect the integrity of British territorial borders and migrant welfare.”