Military to get 300 flats from housing project

The armed forces are to get 300 flats from the Hiyaa housing project in Hulhumalé, the government has said.

Defence Minister Adam Shareef Umar said the flat-winning soldiers are expected to be announced next week.

“These 300 flats are allocated for soldiers and will be handed over to soldiers selected by the MNDF leadership,” he said in a video posted to the Maldives National Defence Force YouTube channel.

A fast-tracked process through the Housing Ministry will ensure the flats are handed over swiftly, Shareef added.

He also said the stalled military cooperative SIFCO project, launched by now-jailed former defence minister Mohamed Nazim, was due to finish this year.

Refuting rumours of rifts within the MNDF and police, Shareef assured there was unity in the ranks as “there is no discontent on their faces.”

Several officers of the police and armed forces have been arrested since a state of emergency was declared following a Supreme Court order.

In 2016, Saudi Arabia pledged US$50 million to build flats for the military.