President reshuffles Chagos inquiry commission 9 days after formation

President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has changed the composition of the commission established to investigate the former Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) administration's handling of the maritime boundary dispute involving Mauritius and the Chagos Archipelago, nine days after its formation.

The commission was established on 1 November to investigate the Maldives' actions in Case No. 28 before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).

President Muizzu issued a decree on Monday removing the commission's chairman, Ahmed Shakir, and member Abdul Azeez Yoosuf.

Dr Abdul Muhsin Mohamed has been appointed as the commission's new chairman, while Captain Ahmed Zubair and Aishath Fazuna Ahmed have been appointed as members.

Following the changes, the commission comprises seven members:

According to the decree, the commission will continue its work until the President determines that all its assigned responsibilities have been completed.

The commission was established to examine decisions taken by the previous MDP administration in relation to the maritime boundary dispute between the Maldives and Mauritius, including the government's position on sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago.

On 22 August 2022, former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih sent a letter to the Prime Minister of Mauritius acknowledging Mauritius' sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, also known as Foalhavahi in Dhivehi.

The current administration subsequently made the letter public on 19 December 2023, alongside a statement outlining its efforts to address what it described as the loss of part of the Maldives' maritime territory.

The maritime boundary dispute was considered by ITLOS, which delivered its judgment on 28 April 2023.

In its ruling, the tribunal determined that the delimitation of the maritime boundary between the Maldives and Mauritius should take into account the coasts of the Chagos Archipelago.

However, opposition figures at the time criticised the Solih administration for recognising Mauritius' sovereignty over Chagos and for failing to pursue a claim to the entire disputed maritime area south of the Maldives.

They argued that the government's position had resulted in the Maldives relinquishing a substantial portion of its maritime territory.

The commission established by President Muizzu is tasked with examining the previous administration's handling of the dispute and the decisions that led to the Maldives' position before the tribunal.