Chagossian

American  

[chah gohs-ee-uhn] / tʃɑ ˈgoʊs i ən /

noun

Chagossians plural

1. an indigenous inhabitant of the Chagos Archipelago, whose population was deported from the islands in the 1960s and 1970s.

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adjective

1. relating to the indigenous inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago, whose population was deported from the islands in the 1960s and 1970s.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Chagossians
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Chagossian Chagossians

“Then there’s the small matter of the Chagossian people, who have never been consulted on any of this.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 2026

It comes as a panel of experts urged the UK to renegotiate the Chagos deal as it "fails to guarantee" the rights of the Chagossian people.

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2025

He said he understood the "bitterness and the hurt" of the Chagossian community in the UK, who were "forcibly deported from Diego Garcia and who wish to return and will not be able to return".

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2025

"It is true, however, that the Chagossian community is divided and I respect that division."

From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2025

"The agreement also lacks provisions to facilitate the Chagossian people's access to cultural sites on Diego Garcia and protect and conserve their unique cultural heritage," the panel added.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2025

Some Chagossians ended up in Seychelles, and a few dozen in the U.K. or Europe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026

In 2002, the U.K. offered citizenship to most citizens of the British Overseas Territories, and some Chagossians moved to Britain.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026

In February, four Chagossians gave it a try, landing a rubber raft on tiny Île du Coin in an attempt to establish a de facto right of return, a gambit they called Operation Certain Death.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026

A judge has issued an order to temporarily block the deportation of four Chagossians who travelled to the Chagos Islands to protest against a deal to hand over the territory to Mauritius.

From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026

Negotiations between 1971 and 1982 resulted in the establishment of a trust fund by the British Government as compensation for the displaced islanders, known as Chagossians.

From The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency