Four Chagossians landed on the Holhimadulu Atoll, Kandhoo Island,the nearest atoll of Addu City,

Map detailing the Atoll of Holhimadulu and Rasdhe Atoll, showcasing various atolls and islets in the Maldives, with geographic names in English and Dhivehi script.

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On Monday, February 16, 2026 (local time), a group of four Chagossians arrived on this remote island, Il du Coin, locally known as ''Kandhu'' Island, located in the Holhimadulu Atoll, Peros Banhos, the nearest atoll of Addu City, to establish what they describe as a permanent settlement. Led by Misley Mandarin, who has positioned himself as the First Minister of a Chagossian government-in-exile (now declared no longer in exile), the group includes his 74-year-old (or 72-year-old in some reports) father, Michel Mandarin, who was born on the island and forcibly removed at age 14 during the 1960s-1970s expulsions.

The arrivals set up tents on the beach, defying British exclusion zones around the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). Misley Mandarin, born in Mauritius, told Reuters in a phone interview the next day: "I am no longer in exile. This is my homeland." He announced plans for 10 more individuals to join the following week, with many more expected over the coming year. His primary goal is to enable the return of the approximately 322 people still alive who were born on Île du Coin, allowing them to "come home before they die." He has emphasized that this settlement poses no threat to the strategically vital U.S.-UK military base on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the archipelago, assuring the United States of its security

This action takes place in the context of a contentious 2025 agreement between Britain and Mauritius, in which Britain intends to transfer sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius, despite a significant historical claim from the Maldives. The British government is negotiating a 99-year lease for Diego Garcia from Mauritius to maintain the military base, even though the territory does not belong to them. In the 1960s and 1970s, approximately 2,000 Chagossians were forcibly removed from the islands to facilitate the establishment of the base, with most being resettled in Mauritius and Britain. Many have long advocated for the right to return, citing human rights violations and the injustice of their displacement.

In a recent interview, Robert Midgley, former No. 10 Downing Street, FCDO Comms Adviser, Army Reservist, Journalist, and spokesperson for the Friends of British Overseas Territories, confirmed that Maldivians were living with the Chagossian community in the Chagos Archipelago.

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has advised both Britain and Mauritius against ratifying the agreement, cautioning that it might continue historical rights violations. Both Maldivian and Chagossian communities oppose the agreement, perceiving it as transferring their homeland to Mauritius, a nation they accuse of previous neglect, without ensuring their right to self-determination or full rights of return. The landing on Île du Coin appears to be an effort to complicate or obstruct this transfer by establishing a presence on the ground and directly asserting Chagossian claims.

Abdulla Afeef visited Addu only once after the exile Seychelles. He visited the Maldives with his wife. Abdulla Afeef Didi passed away in 1993.

During the period of the uprising of the southern atolls of the Maldives, Afeef Didi's family was also taken to Seychelles. His family resides in Seychelles.

Vice President of Seychelles, In office from 27 October 2020 to 26 October 2025, Honourable Ahmed Afeef, is his youngest son. He is of Maldivian descent in Seychelles.

During this time, there were several reports and rumors that the British Government was contacting the Maldivian government for the relocation of Maldivian Chagosians, but they were ignored. Most probably, they are now in Mauritius, Seychelles, or the UK.

In the 16th century, during the Portuguese occupation, the Maldivian King Dom Manuel, formerly known as Sultan Hassan IX, who was married to a Portuguese noblewoman, governed the Chagos area. He relocated several Maldivians from the southern atoll of Addu Huvadhoo to the Chagos region to work on coconut plantations. Dom Manuel continued to practice Catholicism and spent the remainder of his life in Goa. The name "Chagos" has Portuguese origins, although it was originally known as Fehendheeb. Furthermore, what is now referred to as Diego Garcia Island was labeled with the Maldivian name "Foalhavahi" on historical Portuguese maps.