Six war widows looking to return to Maldives with families: NCTC

Six war widows want to return to Maldives with their families from foreign wars, says to the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC).

During a press conference held at the Coastguard building on Wednesday, Head of the NCTC Brigadier General Zakariyya Mansoor said that six widows have been communicating with them seeking to return to the Maldives. Several others have informed the NCTC of their desire to return back home.

Zakariyya Mansoor said that there are several hurdles in the way of their return, one of them being the difficulty guaranteeing the citizenship of children born to the families after leaving for the war due to lack of identification.

Furthermore, Zakariyyaa said that while it’s the duty of the government to guarantee a safe return for these families as they are Maldivian citizens, it would be difficult to do so under current policies and guidelines. He also highlighted the lack of rehabilitation for such citizens to integrate them back into society.

Zakariyya did mention that they are trying to find a swift solution to the problem.

According to NCTC, 61 men have left the Maldives to fight foreign wars. This is a significant figure considering the small population of Maldives said Zakariyya.