Why the Maldives Prez urged India to pull its troops from the island

Mohamed Muizzu, the newly elected President of the Maldives, has officially requested the Indian government to withdraw its military personnel from the country, as per a statement from his office recently. He stated that the Maldivian people, through the Presidential Election held in September, have given him a strong mandate to make this request, expressing hope that India will respect the democratic will of the Maldivian people. The request was reportedly discussed during Muizzu’s meeting with India’s Earth Sciences Minister Kiren Rijiju, who attended Muizzu’s swearing-in ceremony.

The context of this request is situated within the broader dynamics of India-Maldives relations. The Maldives, a small island nation in the Indian Ocean, has been a focus of China’s attempts to deepen ties in the region over the past decade. India has historically considered the Maldives part of its regional sphere of influence, with political shifts impacting the foreign policy approach of Maldivian leaders. The ‘India Out’ campaign gained traction around 2020, alleging the presence of a large Indian military contingent in the Maldives, a claim denied by the Solih government.

The recent election victory of Muizzu, associated with the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), is seen as riding on the ‘India Out’ campaign. His win follows a pattern of political oscillations in the Maldives, with leaders aligning either with Indian or Chinese interests. Despite the call for the withdrawal of Indian military personnel, Muizzu’s statement also acknowledged the significant role of Indian-provided helicopters and aircraft in emergency medical evacuations.

Cooperation between India and the Maldives extends to various areas, including the development of a harbor on the Uthuru Thilafalhu atoll for the Maldivian Coast Guard and the Greater Male Connectivity Project (GMCP), financed by India’s grant of $100 million and a Line of Credit of $400 million. The actual number of Indian troops in the Maldives is not publicly known, with their operations mainly involving search and rescue missions.