The British government has failed to heed the 22 May 2019 UN General Assembly resolution enjoining it to vacate the Chagos Islands, which it occupies illegally, and hand them back to Mauritius within a six-month deadline. [1]

Approached by the General Assembly, the International Court of Justice confirmed, on 25 February 2019, the unlawful handling of the de-colonization process and the sovereignty of Mauritius over the Islands. [2] With this motion the six-month deadline was pushed up to 22 November.

In a statement, the Foreign Office defiantly said: "The UK has no doubt as to our sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), which has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814" ... "Mauritius has never held sovereignty over the BIOT and the UK does not recognise its claim."

According to the opposition Labour Party: "The government shamefully considers itself to be above international law."

The archipelago includes the island of Diego Garcia which hosts a British military base as well as a colossal naval and military base established by the US. The United Kingdom and the United States continue to point a finger at China for its expansionism in the region.