According to local media on Tuesday, India has started removing military troops who were piloting surveillance aircraft in the Maldives, after an order from the country’s new president, who is pro-China.
According to the Mihaaru newspaper, twenty-five Indian troops stationed on Addu’s southernmost atoll had departed the archipelago before March 10, the day when both parties had agreed to officially begin the withdrawal.
Upon taking office in September, President Mohamed Muizzu promised to remove Indian security officers stationed in the Maldives to monitor the country’s extensive maritime border.
After discussions with New Delhi, the two sides decided that by May 10, 89 Indian troops and their support personnel would be removed from the country of 1,192 small coral islands.
According to Mihaaru, Indian civilian staff who have already arrived will operate the three Indian aircraft, which consist of one fixed-wing aircraft and two helicopters.
The Maldivian National Defence Force verified the Indian evacuation had started, according to Mihaaru, although neither the Maldivian government nor the Indian government had provided formal confirmation.
As the Indians were about to depart, the Maldives signed a “military assistance” agreement with China last week.
The agreement would promote “stronger bilateral ties,” according to the Maldivian defense ministry, and China would provide staff training as part of the agreement.
China’s expanding influence in the Maldives and in neighboring Sri Lanka, as well as its rising presence in the Indian Ocean, are causes for India to be concerned.
Strategically located midway along important east-west international maritime routes are both South Asian island states.
Male-New Delhi relations have soured since Muizzu’s electoral victory in September.
Though the Maldives have moved into the sphere of influence of China, its biggest external creditor, New Delhi still regards the Indian Ocean archipelago as falling within its purview.
Muizzu has previously denied attempting to shift the regional balance by bringing in Chinese military to replace Indian troops. In January, he visited Beijing and inked a number of agreements pertaining to infrastructure, energy, maritime, and agriculture.
About 130 kilometers north of the Maldives, on the “strategic important” Lakshadweep islands, India said last month that it was increasing its naval capabilities there.
According to the navy, “operational surveillance” of the area will be increased by the Indian naval force stationed on the island of Minicoy.
