Dr. Mariya appointed ambassador-at-large after April cabinet exit

Former agriculture minister Dr. Mariyam Mariya has been appointed as an ambassador-at-large at the Foreign Ministry, months after she resigned from President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s cabinet.

Sun has learnt that Mariya was appointed to the new role earlier in September, and has officially assumed responsibilities at the Foreign Ministry.

Mariya was part of President Muizzu’s original 22-member cabinet. She initially served as the higher education minister, before getting appointed as agriculture minister in December 2024.

But she, along with nine other ministers, were asked to resign on April 14, in a major cabinet reshuffle after the government suffered a heavy defeat on April 4 in the local council elections and a referendum seeking to combine presidential and parliamentary elections.

Mariya’s appointment as ambassador-at-large comes after two other cabinet ministers asked to resign back in April – former local government minister Adam Shareef Umar and former environment minister Thoriq Ibrahim were appointed to the same role within weeks of their resignation. Adam Shareef was later appointed as Maldivian ambassador in Qatar, and Thoriq as the ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Former foreign minister Dr. Abdulla Khaleel – who also fell victim to the April purge – remains active at the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC), while former defense minister Mohmed Ghassan Maumoon and former higher education minister Dr. Ali Haidar are no longer active in politics.