Unease in St Helena as BIOT migrant deal signed with the UK Government

The UK Government (UKG) and the St Helena Government (SHG) have announced an agreement to address the potential arrival of migrants on the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT).

Under the agreement, any migrants who arrive on BIOT between 17th October and the potential handover of the territory to Mauritius will be relocated to St Helena, with the island taking full responsibility for their welfare. This arrangement will last for 18 months or until the BIOT is officially handed over to Mauritius, at which point the responsibility for future arrivals will be transferred to the Mauritian authorities.

As part of the deal, the Chief Minister of St Helena, Julie Thomas, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UK Government to ensure that St Helena can reject migrants if required to safeguard the island’s population. Upon arrival, all migrants will be screened, with the St Helena Border Control team being provided training by the UK authorities in preparation. Migrants will be housed in accommodation that is funded by the UK.

Chief Minister Julie Thomas and FOTBOT Chief Executive Philip Smith

The UK Government will, in return, provide a one-off funding package of £6.65 million, committing it to local services on the island including education, health and internal IT. A significant portion of this funding will be allocated to clearing the backlog in Overseas Medical Referrals (OMR), a pressing issue for St Helena, which has seen delays in healthcare access due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chief Minister Julie Thomas praised the agreement, framing it as an opportunity for St Helena to strengthen its economy and reduce its reliance on external aid from the UK. She emphasised the potential benefits of the £6.65 million funding package, which she argued would provide a much-needed boost to local services, especially in health and education. The funding, she said, represents a rare opportunity to address long-standing challenges on the island, particularly in terms of infrastructure development and public service delivery.

Andrew Turner, a Member of the Legislative Council (MLC), expressed his deep disappointment and frustration with how the decision was handled in a letter published by local media. “Like everybody else, I have been in shock since yesterday’s announcement,” he wrote, criticising the lack of public consultation and transparency. Turner questioned why fundamental issues had not been addressed before St Helena was signed up for the scheme, including the legal status of migrants, the laws under which they would be processed, and their potential impact on local resources. “There are many questions that should have been publicly answered before our ministers signed the island up to this scheme,” Turner argued, citing concerns about the potential costs to the island, despite the SHG’s claim that incoming migrants would not place additional financial burdens on St Helena. He pointed out that every person arriving on the island would inevitably use local resources, a point which has not been clearly addressed.

Turner’s words reflect a growing unease among some sections of the St Helena community, and the debate over the deal within the territory is lively and growing.

Friends of the British Overseas Territories have responded to the deal, stating:

“This announcement is further evidence that there is a lack of understanding of the Overseas Territories by the UK Government.”

“Saint Helena is a small island with public services that already face a number of pressures. The last thing it needs is an undetermined number of illegal migrants being housed there for an unspecified length of time."

“The local government is understandably eager for extra funding, and it’s shameful that the UK Government is using funding as a tool to foist this deal upon them.”

The FOTBOT campaign to save the Chagos Islands and ensure the UK Government safeguard all the British Overseas Territories is ongoing. You can join our campaign by visiting our resource hub here.