Twenty-six Yemeni fishermen returned to the fishing port in Hodeidah Governorate on Thursday after being detained in Eritrean prisons following their abduction while fishing in Yemeni territorial waters.
The fishermen were received in the presence of Port Director Ghali Qashar and Wael Abdulwadood, director of the Red Sea Fisheries Authority office. Khawkha District Director Amjad Al-Omaisi stated that 10 of the returning fishermen were residents of his district.
Al-Omaisi reported that the fishermen had been subjected to torture and mistreatment, and that Eritrean authorities confiscated their property and fishing vessel before deporting them.
He held the “mercenary government” fully responsible for the ongoing violations and arbitrary practices against Yemeni fishermen—whether by Eritrean authorities or “coalition forces and their mercenaries”—stressing that such abuses carry no statute of limitations.
Al-Omaisi praised the governor and the head of the Red Sea Fisheries Authority for supporting the returned fishermen, noting that financial assistance was distributed during the reception to help them meet immediate needs and return to their families.
The fishermen recounted that Eritrean naval patrols intercepted them at gunpoint while they were fishing aboard two Jalbah-type boats within Yemeni waters.
They reported being held for three days and subjected to severe mistreatment, forced labor, and food deprivation. Eritrean authorities then deported the crew after seizing their catch, fishing gear, and one of their vessels.
The fishermen added that Eritrean forces also confiscated the engines of the remaining boat, replacing them with a single, lower-powered engine before forcing them to sail back to Hodeidah on a grueling return voyage.
