Former Minister Athifa Sign Historic Petition Demanding Restoration of Chagos to Maldives

Aminath Athifa Shakoor

MC- UPDATE 004: In a bold assertion of national sovereignty, Former Minister of Housing and Urban Development Aminath Athifa Shakoor has united with a coalition of prominent former government officials - including former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, former Speaker of the Constitutional Majlis Qasim Ibrahim, and a group of senior lawyers - in signing a landmark public petition demanding the return of the Chagos Archipelago to the Republic of Maldives.

The petition, titled "Urgent Public Petition: A Call for Comprehensive Decolonisation and the Restoration of the Chagos Archipelago to the Sovereign Control of the Republic of Maldives," is a significant call to action. It urges the Maldives Parliament and the President to formally recognise and act upon the historical and legal rights of the Maldivian people over the archipelago.

Rooted in centuries of documented Maldivian sovereignty, the petition outlines a series of compelling historical, legal, and diplomatic arguments. It cites 16th-century European recognition of the Chagos Islands as Maldivian territory, direct rule by Maldivian sultans, and ancient inscriptions such as the Dhanbidhoo Loamaafaanu, which reference the territory. The document sharply criticises the colonial-era detachment and subsequent transfers of Chagos by the French and British empires as violations of the Maldives' territorial integrity.

The signatories argue that neither Mauritius nor Seychelles held legitimate sovereignty over the Chagos Islands when the UK formally detached them in 1965. The petition further contends that while the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) condemned the UK's unlawful administration, they failed to properly consider the Maldives' historical and legal claims.

"This is not just about maps or maritime zones - this is about history, dignity, and justice," the statement asserts. "The Maldives' unbroken claim to Chagos is foundational, not secondary."
The petition demands:

1. Formal recognition of the Maldives' historic sovereignty over Chagos,
2. The reintegration of the archipelago into the Maldivian state,
3. Redress and compensation from former colonial powers for the unlawful use and detachment of the islands and
4. The advancement of the Maldives' claim at international forums to ensure complete and final decolonisation.

Legal experts who reviewed the document say it marks a pivotal moment in Maldivian diplomacy, challenging the dominant post-colonial narrative that centres Mauritius. Supporters of the initiative describe it as a sovereign nation's stand against historical amnesia and geopolitical marginalisation.
The petition has galvanised public discourse across social media and legal circles under the banner of the civil movement Maldivians for Chagos. This movement has spearheaded efforts to correct what it describes as "the final unresolved colonial injustice in the Indian Ocean," gaining significant support and momentum.

As international and regional attention on the Chagos issue continues to intensify, this petition may well redefine the trajectory of the sovereignty debate, placing Malé, not Port Louis, at the centre of the rightful historical claim.