Police cordon off some streets in Male' ahead of MDP protest

While opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) is set to hold a major protest tonight, Police have announced they are cordoning off certain streets in Male' for an operation they are conducting. 

In a post on X, Police announced that, at specific times tonight, some streets in Male' will be closed to traffic and pedestrians for an operation they are carrying out. 

"We appeal for cooperation from the public in this operation. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause," Police wrote. 

Although Police announced that some streets will be closed, they have not yet announced which streets this would be, or the times of closure. 

MDP, meanwhile, is planning to hold a rally in Male' from 8:30pm tonight under the theme 'Lootuvaifi, Lootuvaifi' [Looted, Looted]. People from across the atolls are expected to join tonight's demonstration. 

Police earlier announced that they had received intelligence that some political actors were planning to bring out criminal elements during the rally to create unrest in the capital. Police asserted that they would not allow any such activity to take place. 

The Police-approved route for the protest is across six main streets of Male' and down Boduthakurufaanu Magu. 

Police claimed that certain political actors were planning to form splinter groups from the main rally, staging protests in various unapproved areas of the city, and to bring out criminal groups to create unrest and damage property. 

MDP promptly issued a counter-statement rejecting these claims, asserting that tonight's gathering will be peaceful.