Maldives, 1980 — dissident coup attempt
Event Summary
The dataset records an event coded as an attempted dissident coup in the Maldives on 26 April 1980 against President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who had taken office in 1978 and would go on to become the longest serving ruler in the country's history. The 1980 attempt was the first of several plots Gayoom faced, this one reportedly involving a group of former officials and businessmen opposed to his consolidation of power, who were accused of hiring foreign mercenaries to overthrow the government. The plot was uncovered and suppressed, and the alleged conspirators, including a former president's associates, were arrested and exiled or imprisoned.
Gayoom survived this and a further attempt in 1983, and most dramatically a 1988 coup in which Sri Lankan Tamil mercenaries seized parts of the capital Male before being repelled by an Indian military intervention. He ruled the Maldives for thirty years until he lost the country's first multiparty presidential election in 2008.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Sources
Editorial Note
Cross-Reference
Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.
Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:
- Cline Center id
78104261980
How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.
Outcome and Target
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom suppressed the April 1980 plot and ruled the Maldives for thirty years.
Baseline coding: Coup attempt failed to remove the incumbent. Recorded leader fate: remained in office; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.
Baseline Dataset Citation
Baseline Source-Document Entries
Wikipedia
The Guardian
Times of India
This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →