Maldivian citizens who went to Syria before yearslong travel ban on the volatile Middle Eastern country was recently lifted will continue to be subject to penalties, says the Homeland Security Ministry.
On Saturday, the Maldivian government lifted a yearslong ban on travel to Syria, and removed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – the armed group that led the 2024 offensive toppling the Assad regime – from its list of foreign terrorist organizations.
Over 100 Maldivians are believed to have traveled to Syria to join armed groups during the civil war, with an estimated 70 believed to have later died in the conflict.
This prompted the Maldives to impose a travel ban on Syria.
But with the recent decision to lift the ban, travel to and from Syria is no longer a crime for Maldivian citizens.
When asked about what this decision means for Maldivian citizens who went to Syria before the ban was lifted, Homeland Security Ministry’s spokesperson Fathimath Rifath told Sun on Monday afternoon that Maldivian citizens who have been in Syria since before the government accepted the incumbent Syrian administration will continue to be subject to penalties.
However, there are no longer any restrictions in travel between the two countries now.
She added that the government is working to repatriate Maldivian citizens stranded in Syria.
The United Nations 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.
According to Homeland Security Minister Ali Ihusan, over 90 Maldivian nationals - the widows of fighters and their children – have requested for government intervention to allow them to return to the Maldives.
At least six families have been repatriated to the Maldives.
The families were taken to the National Re-integration Center (NRC) in K. Himmafushi, where they undergo assessments, and rehabilitation and deradicalization.
The law dictates that they must stay there, for at least a year, before being reintegrated back into society.