Reparations advocate: Azerbaijan’s support key to exposing Guadeloupe’s colonial struggles

The signing of a cooperation memorandum between the Baku Initiative Group (BIG) and representatives of Guadeloupe is a significant step forward in promoting decolonisation on the global stage, said Nicole Brisset-Regent, a representative of the Secretariat of the International Movement for Reparations – Guadeloupe (MIR).

Speaking to journalists during the international conference “Towards the Decolonisation of Guadeloupe: Challenges and Prospects” held in Baku, Brisset-Regent expressed deep appreciation for the support from Azerbaijan and BIG, Caliber.Az reports via domestic media.

“We are sincerely grateful for this memorandum and the support we have received from the Baku Initiative Group. Thanks to Azerbaijan, our struggle has gained global attention. The international community is now becoming aware of what the people of Guadeloupe have suffered — and continue to suffer,” she said.

Despite the strong aspirations of the Guadeloupean people for freedom, Brisset-Regent highlighted that the process of decolonisation remains highly challenging due to political pressures from France.

“Achieving independence is difficult because France remains a powerful colonial power. We ask, we insist, and we fight for our right to independence, but the French government refuses to recognise that right,” she emphasised.

The Baku conference brings these critical issues to the forefront, focusing on Guadeloupe — a Caribbean island still under French colonial rule. The event is co-organised by the Baku Initiative Group, the People’s Union for the Liberation of Guadeloupe (UPLG), the International Movement for Reparations – Guadeloupe (MIR-Guadeloupe), the International Committee of Black Peoples (CIPN), and the Movement for the Creation of a Guadeloupean Nation (FKNG).

The gathering has attracted political leaders, civil society activists, academics, and NGO representatives. Among the speakers are secretaries of the International Front for Decolonisation — a body established in Baku in July 2024 with BIG’s support — who are addressing a wide range of issues. These include the consequences of Guadeloupe’s ongoing status as a French overseas department, which severely limits the islanders’ right to self-determination, alongside broader themes of colonial injustice.

Conference participants are also examining colonial-era crimes, such as the destruction of the indigenous Kalinago people, exploitation of labour, systemic inequality, and the persistent administrative and economic structures that perpetuate Guadeloupe’s dependency. The event serves as a vital platform to amplify calls for sovereignty, historical justice, and the dismantling of lingering colonial systems in the modern era.

By Tamilla Hasanova