The Maldives’s Defence Minister Ghassan Maumoon has admitted that its military lacks pilots capable of operating three aircraft donated by India, days after the last of the Indian defence personnel left the island nation.

“There aren’t any people licenced to fly the aircraft,” said Defence Minister Ghassan Maumoon at a media briefing in Male on Sunday.

Maumoon explained that Maldivian soldiers who began training to fly the aircraft under previous administrations were unable to complete the program due to unspecified reasons.

The Indian personnel left the Maldives on Friday, adhering to a deadline set in February as part of an agreement between the two nations. This agreement followed a demand made by Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu, known for his pro-China stance, shortly after taking office in November 2023.

The Indian military personnel, stationed in the Maldives to operate two platforms for helicopters and a Dornier aircraft, had left Male and returned to India by Friday, as per the May 10 deadline set following an agreement between the two countries in February in New Delhi.

The move to replace Indian military personnel with civilians is seen as a setback to India’s efforts to counter China’s influence in the small, strategically located country to its south.

Since coming into power, Muizzu’s government has entered several agreements with China to boost economic ties and has sidelined India in several projects.