The advisory function and erga omnes obligations in the Chagos case

On 25 February 2019, the International Court of Justice rendered its advisory opinion concerning the Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965. The recent advisory opinion concerning the Chagos Islands has, understandably, received particular attention. The present paper focuses on two specific aspects of the advisory opinion. On the one hand, it addresses the procedural aspect linked to the exercise of judicial propriety when the opinion regards the alleged breach of erga omnes obligations. On the other hand, it concentrates on the position of the Court on the legal consequences that are attached to the violation of such obligations.