Media: The withdrawal of Indian forces from the Maldives begins

The Maldives demands that India withdraw its military forces

The 89 Indian soldiers are supposed to have left the country by May 10 after being ordered to leave by President Mohamed Moizo, who came to power last year based on an anti-India program.

So far, India has withdrawn 25 of its soldiers stationed on Addu Atoll before the official date for the start of the withdrawal, according to the local newspaper "Miharu".

The newspaper indicated that civilian employees arrived on the island to replace these military personnel in operating three reconnaissance aircraft provided by New Delhi to Male to monitor its vast maritime borders.

The Indian or Maldivian authorities did not officially confirm the information reported by the newspaper, but the latter indicated that the Maldivian forces confirmed the start of the Indian withdrawal.

India is concerned about China's growing presence in the Indian Ocean and its influence in the Maldives, an archipelago consisting of 1,192 small islands extending 800 kilometers across the equator, along with neighboring Sri Lanka. 

These two island countries in South Asia are strategically located in the middle of major international shipping routes between East and West. 

Relations between Malé and New Delhi have cooled since Mohamed Moizo won the elections in September 2023. India considers the archipelago located in the Indian Ocean to be in its sphere of influence, but the Maldives has chosen to approach China, its largest foreign creditor.

Moizo, who in January visited Beijing, where he signed a number of deals in the infrastructure, energy, maritime and agricultural sectors, denied that he was seeking to redraw the regional balance by bringing in Chinese forces to replace Indian forces. 

Last week, the Maldives Ministry of Defense announced that it had signed an “agreement on China’s provision of military assistance” with Beijing, explaining that it aims to “strengthen bilateral relations.”