Verdict in Maldives-Mauritius border dispute on April 28

An international maritime tribunal has scheduled the verdict on the issue of separation of the Maldives and Chagos territorial waters to April 28.

Mauritius approached the tribunal in September 2019, alleging that the territorial waters between the Chagos, which is internationally recognised as part of Mauritius, and the Maldives' southern city of Addu, were compromised.

The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) has scheduled to deliver its verdict in the case at 2pm Maldivian time on Friday, April 28.

In the case:

The Maldives had voted against the UN resolution at the time, but in August, the country's stand was changed to back Mauritius. This was revealed by Attorney General Ibrahim Riffath during ITLOS hearings in October.

After Riffath made the announcement, the government came under fire for granting leeway in the Chagos case.

However, the government had said at the time that in the case of Chagos, the Maldives was trying to acquire the largest area available to the Maldives from the disputed area. The government insisted that there is a lot of hope that the ongoing dispute in ITLOS will end in favour of the Maldives.

According to the UN convention on international waters, 200 miles from the coast of countries having sea in the vicinity can be declared an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the country.

Mauritius wants the area around Chagos to be included in its EEZ under the convention. The Maldives objected to the plea, disputing the boundary lines claimed by Mauritius.