Misley Mandarin has declared that what has occurred on the Chagos Islands is “obviously” ethnic cleansing after Keir Starmer reported to the UN for “crimes against humanity”.
Speaking to GB News, the Chagossian First Minister was reacting to the international body's launch of an inquiry into plans to remove the indigenous Chagossian people from their homeland.
James Tumbridge, the Attorney General for the Chagossian Government-in-exile, has submitted an urgent appeal to the UN human rights commissioner.
The submission accuses the British Government of acts that could be considered "ethnic cleansing and potentially crimes against humanity" in its attempts to expel islanders.
TRENDING
Stories
Videos
Your Say
The removals relate to four Chagossians, including Mr Mandarin, who have recently returned to their homeland in protest of plans to cede sovereignty of the British territory to Mauritius.
“They try to keep us out of our ancestors' home, where my dad, my grandparents, and my family were born,” the First Minister said.
When asked if it was fair to describe what the British Government was doing as ethnic cleansing, Mr Mandarin answered: “Obviously!”
“It is obviously because we have got a distinct culture… By doing this, all our culture is disappearing.”
Misley Mandarin has declared that what has occurred on the Chagos Islands is 'obviously' ethnic cleansing
|GB NEWS
“We need to be in our homeland. If you give our homeland to a third country, it will be lost.
“So basically, what he's (Keir Starmer) doing is ethnic cleansing,” he stressed.
Speaking for his people, Mr Mandarin added: “We are not surprised because a Labour government started deportation.”
Mr Mandarin was referring to the initial removal of Chagossians, which began in 1966 under Harold Wilson’s Labour government and continued under Edward Heath’s Conservative government.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
His remarks came as Keir Starmer was reported to the UN for 'crimes against humanity'
|GETTY
More than 300 Chagossians have expressed interest in joining the First Minister in returning to Chagos, despite protests from the British Government.
However, resettlement efforts have been hampered by Border Force officials, who were seen on Saturday intercepting a supply ship trying to help the native islanders.
“If people know about our struggle here. Please, please, please get the commissioner to get our stuff from the boat and get back the thing we need on land,” Mr Mandarin pleaded.
Meanwhile, the bill to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Islands was dropped from next month’s King's Speech.
Key facts about the Chagos Islands
|GB NEWS
The legislation underpinning the transfer of the islands from British control will be omitted from the declaration after President Donald Trump publicly slammed the deal as "an act of great stupidity".
Mr Mandarin warned that the deal was stalled but “not dead yet”.
“We have to kill it. Parliamentarians, politicians, lords, they have to watch out for Keir Starmer trying to bring it back in sneakily,” he cautioned.
Reacting to Mr Mandarin's claim, a Government spokesman said: “The Diego Garcia military base is crucial to the security of the UK and our key allies, and to keeping the British people safe.
“There are ongoing legal proceedings before the BIOT courts. Various UK and international courts have found that there is no right of abode on the Archipelago.”