MNDF holds flag raising and guard mounting ceremony at Victory Day memorial

Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) has held annual flag-raising and guard-mounting ceremony at the November 3 Memorial.

President and Chief of Army Staff Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, First Lady Sajidha Mohamed, and Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef attended the ceremony. Also present were ministers, officials, and a large contingent of soldiers.

The November 3 Memorial honor's the sacrifices made in defence of the nation. The structure is designed to replicate the wall through which terrorists infiltrated the army headquarters. The sceptre symbolises the army’s noble jihad in defence of the sovereign independence of the Maldives. Surrounding the flag is an inscription of a verse from Allah, along with its Dhivehi translation, symbolising that Maldivian soldiers stand ever-ready to make any sacrifice for their religion and country. Eight floral arrangements on either side of the building commemorate the soldiers who were martyred on November 3.

During the ceremony, eight flags were mounted, each representing one of the eight soldiers who lost their lives in the attack. A moment of silence was observed in honor of the martyrs, followed by a seven-gun salute. The ceremony concluded with a special prayer for the occasion and the official song of MNDF.

The November 3 Memorial commemorates the victory over the invasion of November 3, 1988. Located in the southwest corner of the army headquarters, a flag-raising and guard-mounting ceremony has been held at the site each Victory Day since the establishment of the memorial.

Victory Day, observed on 3 November, marks the day in 1988 when six traitors colluded with a foreign group in an attempt to seize control of the Maldives. Nineteen Maldivians were martyred in the attack, including eight soldiers and eleven civilians.