The long-standing tragedy of the Chagos Archipelago finally came to an end in October 2024 after decades of struggle. Yet, history appears to be repeating itself, this time in Gaza, where nearly 2.5 million Palestinians face the threat of forced displacement. The United States, echoing past colonial injustices, is accused of pushing for a plan to forcibly remove Gaza’s residents from their land and resettle them in neighbouring countries—an idea met with overwhelming global condemnation.

The proposed expulsion of Gazans, reminiscent of the displacement of Chagossians, is not just a violation of international law but a cruel attempt to erase an entire population from their homeland. The fate of the Chagos Archipelago serves as a grim precedent. In the 1960s, the U.S. and Britain conspired to depopulate the islands, forcibly removing 2,000 Chagossians to make way for a U.S. military base on Diego Garcia. The indigenous population was starved, threatened, and ultimately exiled, forced into conditions of extreme poverty in Mauritius and Seychelles, far from the land they had called home for generations.

The struggle for justice in Chagos took decades. Despite legal victories, including a 2019 International Court of Justice ruling against Britain's occupation, the archipelago remained under British control until 2024, when London finally agreed to return it to Mauritius. Yet, for the displaced Chagossians, the damage was irreversible. Their homeland had been stolen, their history erased, their rights denied.

As the world watches Gaza, the parallels to Chagos are undeniable. Palestinians are being starved, besieged, and pushed toward forced exile in a systematic attempt to dismantle their presence. But history has also shown that resistance endures. Just as the Chagos struggle reached an eventual, if long-overdue, resolution, Gaza’s people remain steadfast in their refusal to be erased, fighting for their right to remain on their land against all odds.