Sanaa government condemns Eritrean, Somali attacks on Yemeni fishermen
SANAA, Feb. 03 (YPA) – The Sanaa-based Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Water Resources has strongly condemned on Monday the criminal attacks and repeated violations committed against Yemeni fishermen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden by Eritrean and Somali regional authorities.
In a statement, the ministry considered these actions as blatant breaches of international, humanitarian, and maritime laws, as well as established customs and conventions.
The statement reported that Eritrean forces launched a direct armed assault using firearms against unarmed Yemeni civilian fishermen within Yemen’s territorial waters in the Red Sea. This aggression resulted in casualties, including fatalities and injuries, as well as the detention and forced abduction of several fishermen.
It characterized these actions as a severe escalation that endangers the security and livelihoods of fishermen, infringing upon their fundamental right to work and live with dignity.
The statement also denounced the arbitrary and unlawful detention of fishermen from Hadramout province by Somali regional authorities in the Bosaso area, along with the confiscation of their boats and fishing equipment.
“The Eritrean and Somali authorities bear full legal and humanitarian responsibility for the well-being of the detained fishermen and for any physical, psychological, or material harm they may suffer,” the ministry’s statement added, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees, the safe return of the fishermen to Yemen, and the full restitution of their boats, equipment, and cargo without loss.”
It further called for accountability for those responsible for these grave violations.
The statement urged the United Nations, international human rights and humanitarian organizations, and all relevant stakeholders to fulfill their legal and moral obligations by unequivocally condemning these crimes and taking urgent measures to pressure the involved parties to cease attacks on Yemeni fishermen.
It also called for ensuring the protection of fishermen in regional and international waters and preventing further violations.
The ministry’s statement affirmed that the dignity of Yemeni fishermen and the sovereignty of the Republic of Yemen over its territorial waters are inviolable.
It stressed that these crimes would not be subject to a statute of limitations, warning that continued international silence in the face of such violations only encourages their repetition and undermines justice.
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