US concerned with ‘status of rule of law and democracy’ in Maldives
The Maldives has produced more terrorists who have fought in Iraq and Syria than any other country in the world,” Acting Assistant Secretary Alice Wells told a congressional committee hearing on ‘Maintaining US influence in South Asia.’
10 Sep 2017, 9:00 AM
The United States has “real concerns about the status of rule of law and democracy” in the Maldives, Acting Assistant Secretary Alice Wells told a congressional subcommittee hearing Thursday on ‘Maintaining US influence in South Asia.’
“Lack of higher educational opportunities, high youth unemployment, rise of social media, and weak institutions all contribute to an environment in which Islamist violent extremism is on the rise,” Wells said at the hearing on the State Department’s 2018 South Asia budget.
“Our work with the government to combat violent extremism remains critically important, in a country with a grim distinction: per capita, it has produced more terrorists who have fought in Iraq and Syria than any other country in the world.”
The State Department’s request for US$440,000 in foreign assistance for the Maldives is to continue “limited support for maritime security cooperation,” she added, noting “threats posed by narcotics trafficking, piracy in the Indian Ocean, and seaborne trade in illicit materials of potential use for terrorist activity.”
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