MAAMV001

30 August 2012

This report covers the period 1 January to 30 June 2012

Overview

The resignation of President of the Republic of Maldives in early February resulted in considerable political upheaval and a deteriorating security situation, which lasted for several weeks. Apart from sporadic incidents, the security situation has returned to normalcy. However, disputes between the various political parties regarding the legitimacy of the leadership of former Vice-President continue.

The turmoil throughout the country during February and March delayed the implementation of some activities. However, the Maldivian Red Crescent (MRC) emergency first response team (EFRT) was actively responding to the injuries resulting from the protests, which occurred on a nightly basis, culminating in a day of considerable violence on 1 March 2012 when the new President was due to open the first Parliamentary session of the year. During the reporting period, a number of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) delegates visited Maldives to meet with the authorities, visit detainees and develop MRC’s first aid capacity in violent situations. A meeting was held with the Department of Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Services (DPRS) to explore possibilities of providing first aid courses to prison officers.

An organizational development (OD) review of MRC with support from Canadian Red Cross and Australian Red Cross has been postponed to June. MRC have delayed recruitments for vacant posts as the review is expected to recommend staffing structure, hence temporarily reduced the capacity to implement programmes on schedule.