U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is currently under scrutiny following a “crimes against humanity” complaint lodged at the United Nations, centered around the treatment of the Chagossian people. This development coincides with heightened tensions after an Iranian missile attempt aimed at Diego Garcia, a strategic location in the Indian Ocean.
The complaint specifically names Starmer in connection with the removal of four individuals who had returned to the Chagos Archipelago. This legal action was initiated by the attorney general representing the Chagossian government.
James Tumbridge, who filed the complaint, emphasized the importance of maintaining robust relations with the United States. In a statement to Fox News Digital, the exiled leaders expressed their view of Washington as an indispensable partner in ensuring global security.
Diego Garcia has long held significant military value, illustrated by the deployment of a U.S. B-2 Spirit bomber from the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. The aircraft made a refueling stop at the base in October 2001 after participating in an airstrike mission over Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
On March 20, tensions escalated when Iran launched two ballistic missiles towards Diego Garcia from over 2,300 miles away. Although the missiles missed their target, the event highlighted the strategic importance of the base.
In response, Chagossian leaders have expressed their support for the continued presence of U.S. forces. First Minister Misley Mandarin reiterated their commitment to the 1966 agreement, describing the U.S. as a “brother in arms” crucial for maintaining global security.
The 1966 agreement allowed the U.S. to use Diego Garcia for defense purposes, initially for 50 years.
“The desire of the Chagossian government is to have a positive relationship with the U.S. and an ongoing presence on Diego Garcia of the U.S. military,” Tumbridge also told Fox News Digital.
Diego Garcia is the largest island in the Chagos archipelago and the site of a major United States military base in the middle of the Indian Ocean leased from the U.K. in 1966. (Reuters)
Meanwhile, Tumbridge’s U.N. submission claims U.K. actions risk the “forced depopulation” of the Chagos Islands.
Expulsions began in 1968, when about 2,000 residents were removed, culminating in 1973, and in February the U.K. issued new removal orders to four Chagossians who had returned to the islands.
The filing calls the situation “forced displacement” that could constitute “a crime against humanity by forced depopulation of a territory.”
It warns the British government of a “fresh crime now” that could complete a decades-long erasure of the Indigenous population, stating, “The removal of these four persons would result in the total physical erasure of the Chagossian people,” potentially “amounting to ethnic cleansing.”
President Trump warned he will use force if a lease deal with Mauritius over Diego Garcia “falls apart” or anyone threatens U.S. operations. (Getty Images)
“The BIOT commissioner accepted that the Chagossians were wronged in the past,” Tumbridge said Wednesday.
“How can the U.K. prime minister, who claims to value the rule of law and human rights, not want to right that wrong and let the people return to their islands?”
The filing also comes as the U.K. considers transferring sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.
This followed a 2019 International Court of Justice opinion, while preserving the Diego Garcia base under a 99-year lease.
President Donald Trump criticized the proposed handover, and the U.K. has since paused legislation to formalize the deal, with ministers saying it has become “impossible to agree at a political level.”
The legislation was expected to be included in the King’s speech outlining the next parliamentary session’s agenda.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer takes part in a panel discussion with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen at the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Feb. 14, 2026. (Stefan Rousseau/Pool via REUTERS)
A UK government spokesperson told Fox News Digital that 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,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Responding to the statement, Tumbridge claimed Starmer’s government was “misleading” people and warned a “serious fight” is on the horizon.
“Sadly, the British Government is misleading people. No court anywhere has ever found ‘that there is no right of abode on the Archipelago.’ Tony Blair’s Government took away the right of abode and passed attempts to quash that law in court failed, until the Supreme Court of the BIOT ruled on March 31st and quashed it,” he said.
