Self-exiled former President Mohamed Nasheed has announced that he will be returning to Maldives on November 1.

Nasheed, sentenced to 13 years on terrorism in March 2015, has been living in exile since January 2016. This is the first time he has announced a return date.

In a tweet sent out on Wednesday, the former president said that he intends to return to Maldives on November 1, ‘God willing’.

While opposition Jumhooree Party (JP) leader Qasim Ibrahim is to return on Thursday, he was granted bail last week. Convicted on bribery charges in August 2017, Qasim has been living in exile in Germany.

However, the courts are yet to make any such decisions regarding Nasheed’s case, and according to some reports the former president will return on November 1 ‘either way’.