President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has made changes to the membership and leadership of the special presidential commission established to investigate the previous MDP administration’s handling of the Chagos Islands dispute, replacing its chairman just a week after the commission was formed.
The commission, established on November 1, was reshuffled within approximately a week of its formation, with changes affecting both its chairman and members.
Under a new presidential decree issued to amend the commission tasked with examining the Maldives’ handling of Case No. 28 before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), former chairman Kashimaa Ahmed Shakir and member Abdulaziz Yoosuf have been removed from their positions.
They have been replaced by Captain Ahmed Zubair and Aishath Fazuna Ahmed. Dr Abdulmuhsin Mohamed, who was initially appointed as a member of the commission, has now been appointed as its chairman.
Following the changes, the commission will also include Dr Aminath Shafiya Adam, retired Deputy Commissioner of Police Mohamed Sodig, Ahmed Ali Manik and Fathimath Minhath Izzath.
According to the presidential decree, the commission will remain in operation until the President determines that all tasks assigned to it have been completed.
The President’s Office has previously stated that a report prepared by an international team of experts examining the issue found that the previous government’s handling of the ITLOS proceedings had resulted in a significant loss of the Maldives’ maritime territory, along with substantial and irreversible damage to the country’s fisheries and natural resources.
The commission has been tasked with investigating whether government officials, advisers and other relevant authorities committed any legal negligence in handling the matter, as well as recommending appropriate action against those found responsible.
The Maldives had initially opposed Mauritius’ claim of sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, also known as the Foalhavahi Islands. However, the country later changed its position, with former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih sending a letter to the Mauritian Prime Minister on August 22, 2022, supporting Mauritius’ claim. The current administration made the letter public on December 19, 2023.
In its ruling on the maritime boundary dispute between the two countries, ITLOS awarded the Maldives 47,232 square kilometres and Mauritius 45,331 square kilometres of the disputed 95,563-square-kilometre maritime area.
Located approximately 500 kilometres south of the Maldives, the Chagos Archipelago has historical ties to the Maldives, with Maldivians having traditionally travelled to the islands for fishing for generations.
The ruling has remained a point of political contention, with the ruling PNC maintaining that the entire area rightfully belongs to the Maldives and arguing that the previous administration’s decision resulted in the country losing part of its maritime territory.
