Foreign Ministry issues travel warning for Maldives
Violence erupts in the island nation's capital after former president Mohamed Nasheed tells supporters he was ousted at gunpoint
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a travel warning Wednesday for Israelis visiting the Republic of Maldives as violence escalated in the 1,200-island nation’s capital, Male. Thousands of supporters of former president Mohamed Nasheed rioted against police on Wednesday and demanded the reinstatement of the democratically-elected leader.
The ministry cautioned Israeli travelers who are currently in the Maldives against visiting Male, and it issued a general travel advisory to Israelis considering travel to the country, which is located off the coast of southern India.
Nasheed stepped down earlier this week after months of protests against his rule. On Wednesday, he told supporters that he had been ousted at gunpoint in what he termed a political coup and vowed to return to power.
After hearing him speak, Nasheed’s supporters started rioting against police and throwing firebombs. Nasheed and several other lawmakers were beaten in the street, while the chairman of Nasheed’s politcal party, the Maldivian Democratic Party, was beaten unconscious and hospitalized.
On Thursday, a Maldives court issued an arrest warrant for the former president, presumably in response to the chaos in the capital.
As reported by the Associated Press, the former vice-president and current president Mohammed Waheed Hassan denied reports of any coup, adding that he had not prepared to take over the government and urged for the formation of a coalition government.
Nasheed has faced opposition from Islamic hardliners for some time. He was viewed by political foes as an unwelcome reformer in the mostly Muslim nation of 300,000. The former president, a human rights activist, worked to relax Islamic law in order to promote the Maldives’s crucial tourism industry which caters most to high-end travelers, among them many Israelis.
Islamic radicalization in recent years led to calls by Nasheed’s political opponents to suspend flights and tourism from Israel. The former leader had reinstated diplomatic relations with Israel early in his tenure, and he attempted to modernize the school curriculum, pushing for a more modern Islam which is more open to other faiths.
The UK also issued warnings on Wednesday, warning citizens to avoid non-essential travel to Male and to refrain from political activism while in the Maldives.