Operation Cactus: How India Saved Maldives from a Bloody Coup

It was on November 3, 1988 that a band of foreign mercenaries backed by local conspirators launched a violent coup attempt in the Maldives.

However, as a report in The Standard Maldives highlighted, the nation's sovereignty was restored within hours through a remarkable display of courage by Maldivian defenders and the "swift military response" of India in what became known as Operation Cactus.

"In the early morning hours, around 80 armed mercenaries from the Sri Lankan militant group PLOTE (People's Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam) invaded Male. They had been secretly ferried in aboard a hijacked freighter and were led by Abdulla Luthufee, a Maldivian businessman turned traitor. The mercenaries seized government buildings and state media in an attempt to overthrow President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's administration," Ahmed Ashraf wrote in a piece for the Maldivian news outlet.

He recalled that President Gayoom narrowly escaped capture, moving between safe houses as gunfire echoed across the capital. As several officials were taken hostage and eight security personnel killed, the government in Male sent out urgent pleas for international assistance.

"Nations including Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Singapore, and the United States were contacted, but only India responded decisively. Upon receiving the distress call, Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi ordered an immediate rescue operation. Within hours, the Indian Air Force mobilized paratroopers from Agra, flying them over 2,000 kilometers to Male under Operation Cactus. The elite soldiers landed at Hulhule Airport shortly before midnight and swiftly secured the airfield.

"Using boats to cross into the capital, Indian forces joined Maldivian security personnel in counterattacking the mercenaries. Within hours, President Gayoom was safe and control of the city was restored. The fleeing rebels hijacked a merchant ship, MV Progress Light, with 27 hostages aboard, but were intercepted by the Indian Navy frigates INS Godavari and INS Betwa in a high-seas pursuit. The hostages were rescued and the mercenaries captured without further bloodshed," the report recalls.

India's decisive action, wrote Ashraf, drew international praise, with global leaders acknowledging it as a stabilising moment for the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) and the event forging a deep bond between the Maldives and India, cementing partnership between both nations in regional security and mutual respect.

Every year, November 3 is commemorated as 'Victory Day' in the Maldives, honouring those who defended the nation's freedom and remembering the partnership that safeguarded it.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also maintains that whenever friendly governments face the risk of a coup or instability threatening regional security, India has often stepped in as a first support responder.

"In 1988, for example, in response to a request from the Maldives, India activated Operation Cactus to deploy its military and ensure regime continuity in Male. Located in one of the world's most conflict-ridden regions, whenever requested by neighbouring countries, India has also played a constructive role in offering its mediation services to ensure peaceful and inclusive settlements. New Delhi is also a democratic first responder, deploying expert technical support to assist transitioning democracies to design their new constitutions and hold free and fair elections," the MEA states.

- IANS