Govt. to repatriate more Maldivians stranded in Syria

The Maldivian authorities have initiated an operation to repatriate more Maldivian citizens stranded after fleeing to Syria.

Director-general of the National Re-integration Center (NRC), Anwar Naeem confirmed on Monday that the government is working on repatriating a group of Maldivian citizens from Syria.

He declined to disclose a specific number.

“We will disclose details on Wednesday, after the operation ends,” he said.

Over 100 Maldivians are believed to have fled to Syria, with an estimated 70 believed to have later died in the conflict.

The UN estimates that there are more than 50 Maldivian nationals - the widows of fighters and their children – are living in the camps in Syria, without proper access to food, clean water, healthcare and education.

Last year, Maldives brought home a family of five – a woman and her four children.

Maldivians repatriated from conflict zones undergo rehabilitation and deradicalization at the NRC in K. Himmafushi.

The law dictates that they must stay there for at least a year.