Mother and 14-year-old daughter stranded in Syria war repatriated to Maldives

A Maldivian woman and her 14-year-old daughter who traveled to Syria to join the war have been repatriated to the Maldives and are currently undergoing rehabilitation, says Homeland Security Minister Ali Ihusan.

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.

The United Nations estimates that there are more than 50 Maldivian nationals - the widows of fighters and their children – were living in the camps in Syria, without proper access to food, clean water, healthcare and education.

At a press briefing on Thursday morning, Ihusan said that the government is working on repatriating some 60 Maldivian nationals who are stranded in Syria and other countries after traveling overseas to engage in militant activities.

Ihusan said that the government began efforts to repatriate three people who went to Syria and later fled to Turkey where they were detained by authorities.

He said that two of them – a mother and her 14-year-old daughter – have been successfully repatriated and are being held at 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.