Govt Trivialising Maritime Border Dispute Between Maldives and Mauritius: Dr Munavvaru

Former attorney-general and legal scholar, Dr Mohamed Munavvaru, called on the Maldivian government to not do anything that may alter the Maldives' borders. Dr Munavvaru made this statement with regards to the dispute between the Maldives and Mauritius regarding their ocean borders. Dr Munavvaru has stated that the Maldivian government has not given this matter its due attention, and that the issue is of national concern.

Mauritius had submitted a case to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in 2019 regarding the maritime border between the Maldives and Mauritius. Mauritius claims that the maritime boundary of the Maldives, which includes the Chagos Islands, belongs to Mauritius given a ruling a ruling of the International Court of Justice which handed over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.

In a statement Dr Munavvaru released, he urged the Maldivian government to not trivialise the issue, and that the matter deserved the government's careful attention. Dr Munavvaru said that the matter was a serious issue for the nation and its people. He said that the ruling could affect the livelihood of fishermen from southern islands.

Dr Munavvaru said that the case had been lodged by Mauritius two years ago, and the Maldives would be called upon to present its case to defend its maritime border in the near future.

He reiterated that as the Maldivian people depended on the ocean for their livelihood, the people of Maldives should be alarmed and concerned by the current administration's attitude towards the case.

Dr Munavvaru called upon Ibrahim Riffath, the current Attorney General, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Defence to provide a full, transparent briefing of the matter to the People's Majlis. He urged the Solih administration to avoid doing anything that may result in the Maldives losing maritime territory; which were fishing grounds for its fishermen.