The presence of Indian troops in the Maldives has been a contentious issue for quite some time. Former Maldivian president Abdulla Yameen asked India to deploy troops to the island nation 2018 on security concerns. Since then, India has stationed some 2,000 military personnel in the Maldives, causing concern among the Maldivian opposition and neighboring states about the growing military presence of India in the region. A naval team, a helicopter unit, and a division-sized force of the Indian Army will carry out the operation. Tensions arise in the Maldives-Nauru relationship when other states see this as an affront to Maldives’s sovereignty.

The president of the Maldives, Dr. Muhammad Muizzu, has called the Indian military’s presence in his country a “threat to national sovereignty.” For many years, Muizzu has pushed for the non-aligned status and independence of the Maldives and has now called on India to withdraw its military intervention. Fixing tense ties with China is another significant change in Muizzu’s foreign policy........

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