On day 1 of new gov't, Maldives asks Indian troops to leave

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) — A day after being sworn in, the new government of the Maldives formally asked India to withdraw troops from the archipelago nation.

President Mohamed Muizzu "formally made the request when he met the Minister of Earth Sciences of India, Kiren Rijiju, at the President's Office earlier today," said a statement issued Saturday by Muizzu's office.

Muizzu, who was sworn in on Friday as the eighth president of the Maldives after winning the presidential election last month, had said: "We don't want any foreign military boots on Maldivian soil ... I promised this to the people of the Maldives and I will live up to my promise from day one."

Rijiju was one of more than 190 representatives from 49 countries besides international organizations who attended Muizzu's oath-taking ceremony a day earlier.

"The people have decided they do not want the presence of foreign soldiers, emphasized no foreign soldiers can stay in Maldives against the people's wishes," Muizzu had said after his election win last month.

- Indian presence in Maldives

The presence of the Indian military was one of the major issues in the country's elections, with Muizzu seen as close to India's regional rival China, while his opponent and predecessor Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is seen as pro-Delhi.

On Nov. 3, 1988, India sent paratroopers and warships to the Maldives to quell a coup d'etat that had ousted President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

The coup was led by a group of Sri Lankan mercenaries hired by former Maldivian President Ibrahim Nasir.

India's intervention was based on a request for assistance from President Gayoom, who had fled to neighboring Sri Lanka after being overthrown.

New Delhi had justified its intervention on the grounds of self-defense, arguing that the coup posed a threat to its security interests in the Indian Ocean. The operation restored Gayoom's government to power.

In February 2018, India sent military personnel and equipment again to the Maldives at the request of then-President Abdulla Yameen, who was facing a political crisis and alleged that he was the target of a coup and requested Indian assistance to maintain law and order.

The strategically located Maldives has been a political battleground for regional influence between India and China.

Muizzu represents the Progressive Party of Maldives led by Yameen, who is serving 11 years of prison sentence over alleged corruption.

Before being jailed, Yameen had led an "India-out" campaign for New Delhi to withdraw its forces, who operate four reconnaissance aircraft, now gifted to the archipelago nation.