Thirty fishermen returned, on Tuesday, to the fishing port in Hodeidah after being detained for several days by the Eritrean navy while fishing in the Red Sea.
Haitham Maarouf, deputy director of the fishing port, explained that the fishermen’s detention is part of a series of repeated violations against Yemeni fishermen in the Red Sea.
He emphasized that these practices cause significant losses to fishermen’s boats, equipment, and livelihoods.
He also pointed out that the detention of the fishermen and the confiscation of their boats and fishing equipment constitute a clear violation of international laws and conventions regulating maritime navigation and fishing.
Maarouf called on international and human rights organizations to fulfill their responsibilities regarding these violations and work to stop them.
For their part, the returning fishermen reported that they were detained while fishing near the international shipping lane, aboard two “jalbah”-type boats, within Yemeni territorial waters in the Red Sea, where two Eritrean navy warships intercepted the boats and took the fishermen to one of the Eritrean islands.
They stated that during their detention, the Eritrean authorities interrogated them before releasing them later, after confiscating one of the boats, quantities of fish, fishing equipment, and some personal belongings, and forcing them to return on the other boat.
