Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965
International Court of Justice
2019 I.C.J. 169 (2019), 2019 I.C.J. 95 (2019)
- Written by Rose VanHofwegen, JD
Facts
The Republic of Mauritius was ruled by the United Kingdom (UK) as a colony. In 1965, the UK formally separated the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius and declared it a separate colony. The colonial government of Mauritius consented to this separation on the condition that the archipelago be returned to Mauritius on a later, unspecified date. In 1966, the UK and the United States agreed to allow the United States to establish a joint military base on Diego Garcia, an island in the Chagos Archipelago, for the next 50 years. In 1968, Mauritius was decolonized and became an independent state—but without the Chagos Archipelago, which remained under the UK’s control. At the end of the UK’s 50-year agreement allowing the United States military presence on Diego Garcia, the two countries agreed to extend the arrangement for an additional 20 years. At that point, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly (plaintiff) asked the International Court of Justice for an advisory opinion about whether Mauritius was legally decolonized in 1968 and the legal impact of the UK’s continued control over the Chagos Archipelago since 1968.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning ()
What to do next…
Here's why 834,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,600 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
