Labour is facing fresh questions over its plans to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius after violent unrest swept across the Indian Ocean nation, leaving a young mother seriously injured by police gunfire and prompting concerns for the safety of Chagossians.
Protesters burned tyres, blocked roads and clashed with security forces as anger over water shortages and the rising cost of living escalated into some of the country’s most serious disturbances since 1999.
The violence intensified following the shooting of 27-year-old Élodie Thomas by a police officer in the Camp-Levieux area on Friday, 9 October. Mauritian public broadcaster MBC reported that she was injured while returning home and that the officer appeared in court the following day. The circumstances of the shooting remain under investigation.
Authorities imposed curfews and deployed security forces. Associated Press reported that the officer was arrested and three others suspended over allegations that they failed to assist the wounded woman. Schools and public transport were disrupted, although police subsequently said the situation was under control.
The Foreign Office updated its travel advice as unrest continued. The developments have also renewed questions about the position of Chagossians living in Mauritius while Britain considers the future of their ancestral islands.
It has been reported that Élodie Thomas may be of Chagossian heritage. That claim has not been independently verified, nor has her nationality been established in the material reviewed for this article.
However, the Great British PAC wants the Foreign Office to clarify whether British nationals or British Chagossians have been affected, what consular assistance is available where appropriate, and which Chagossian representatives the Government is consulting. It also wants answers about how the Foreign Office and Home Office are coordinating assistance for Chagossian families arriving in Britain.
Great British PAC committed £10,000 as families arrived in Britain
The questions follow the arrival of 31 Chagossian families at Manchester Airport last month after travelling from Mauritius via Dubai.
According to Great British PAC, some held British passports while their spouses had different nationalities or immigration statuses, creating difficulties at the border and concerns about family separation. The organisation committed £10,000 in emergency legal funding to Imperium Chambers to assist affected families.
Great British PAC also says it has so far committed more than £50,000 towards legal efforts relating to Chagossian rights, including £20,000 reserved against potential adverse costs for Chagossian Government in Exile Interim First Minister Misley Mandarin.
The group also helped establish the Chagossian Government in Exile and has funded opinion polling which it reports found cross-party voter support for Chagossian self-determination.
Father of six arrived with serious leg injury
One of the arrivals was a British Chagossian father of six, identified by the PAC as Harvey, who was suffering from a serious open wound to his leg.
The organisation says its representatives saw footage of the injury and that its chief executive, Claire Bullivant, arranged an ambulance after the family was located in temporary accommodation in Stockport. Harvey was taken to hospital for assessment and treatment.
The cause of his injury has not been established. The footage cannot determine whether he was assaulted or how the wound occurred.
Labour’s Chagos agreement remains on hold
Under the treaty signed in May 2025, Mauritius would assume sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, while Britain would retain rights over Diego Garcia, home to a joint UK-US military base, for an initial 99 years. The arrangement would also involve substantial payments to Mauritius from the British taxpayer running to billions.
Labour insist the treaty would resolve the longstanding sovereignty dispute and secure the future of the strategically vital Diego Garcia military base. Critics, however, argue that the agreement could achieve precisely the opposite, raising serious questions about its enormous cost, the implications for Western security and the failure to give Chagossians a meaningful say in the future of their homeland.
Of particular concern is the Treaty of Pelindaba, which establishes Africa as a nuclear-weapon-free zone. Opponents warn that transferring sovereignty to Mauritius could create future legal and diplomatic complications for nuclear-related operations at Diego Garcia, including support for British and American nuclear-powered submarines.
There are also concerns about whether the agreement could give Mauritius greater influence over future military operations launched from the base, potentially creating obstacles at moments when Britain and the United States need to act swiftly.
For critics, the fundamental question is whether Britain would be securing one of the West’s most strategically important military installations, or introducing new risks and uncertainties that do not exist under British sovereignty.
The agreement has not yet entered into force. A House of Commons Library briefing dated 8 October 2026 confirms that UK ratification remains paused pending agreement with the United States and that the implementing bill fell earlier this year.
Fresh calls for answers
Great British PAC wants ministers to establish whether any British Chagossians have been harmed during the unrest, what support is being offered, which community groups are being consulted and whether the disturbances have prompted any review of proposed protections and resettlement arrangements.
The unrest does not establish that Chagossians have been specifically targeted, and Élodie Thomas’s possible Chagossian heritage remains unconfirmed. Nonetheless, the reports of unrest and the difficulties faced by families arriving in Britain underline why questions about safety, representation and legal protection deserve a clear public response.
Chagossian claimants supported by Great British PAC are due to return to court for a fresh judicial review permission hearing on 5 November.
Sources: Associated Press, October 2026; Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation, 10 October 2026; House of Commons Library, 8 October 2026; Great British PAC statements, 22 and 28 September 2026.
Image: For illustration purposes.
