NYN | News
Sixty Yemeni fishermen have returned to the shores of Hudaydah province after being forcibly detained for days by Eritrean authorities, who abducted them while they were engaged in traditional fishing within Yemeni territorial waters. According to eyewitness accounts and field sources, the fishermen were released after being subjected to mistreatment and torture.
Local sources reported that the released fishermen arrived on Saturday at the fish landing center in the Abu Zahr area of Al-Khoukha district, south of Hudaydah, in a state of physical and psychological exhaustion after enduring a harsh period of detention that included humiliation, beatings, and starvation.
The sources added that the Eritrean authorities confiscated the boats they were using, along with their equipment and personal belongings. This has deprived them of their means of livelihood and further worsened their suffering amid dire economic conditions.
Incidents of Yemeni fishermen being detained by Eritrean forces in the Red Sea are recurring, amid growing accusations of systematic acts of maritime piracy and human rights violations. Local and international organizations have documented the killing and arrest of dozens of fishermen in recent years.
Human rights advocates describe these violations as a direct threat to the lives of thousands of fishermen along the coast of Hudaydah and a blow to efforts aimed at achieving economic stability in one of the regions most affected by conflict and blockade.
