Addis Ababa, 22 November 2019: The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, His Excellency Moussa Faki Mahamat, expresses his deep concern over the continued colonial administration of the United Kingdom to the Chagos Archipelago, in violation of the United Nations General Assembly’s Resolution 73/295 adopted on 22 May 2019, in which the international community demanded from the United Kingdom to withdraw unconditionally within six months from the date of the Resolution, which expired on 22 November 2019.

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission recalls that the General Assembly Resolution 73/295 was adopted following the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of 25 February 2019 on the legal effects of the separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965.

The Chairperson of the Commission reiterates the support of the African Union to the Republic of Mauritius for a complete decolonization of the Chagos Archipelago, in conformity with the Constitutive Act of the African Union which defines the defence of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of the Member States as one of its main objectives. He further reiterates the relevant decisions of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union in this area, in particular Assembly/AU/Dec.747(XXXll) on the decolonisation of the Chagos Archipelago, adopted in February 2019 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission calls upon the United Kingdom to comply with the General Assembly Resolution, within the spirit of the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, and requests the international community to continue its support to the Republic of Mauritius for a complete decolonisation of the Chagos Archipelago.