http://yementimes.com/en/1778/news/3811/Eritrea-releases-154-Yemeni-fishermen.htm
Eritrea releases 154 Yemeni fishermen
Published on 6 May 2014 in News
Nasser Al-Sakkaf (author)
Nasser Al-Sakkaf
SANA'A, April 5-Eritrean authorities released 154 Yemeni fishermen on
Friday. The fishermen were returned to Hodeida after being detained and
accused of fishing in Eritrean waters. Most of the released fishermen were
arrested in late 2012.
Mohammed Al-Azani, the acting Yemeni ambassador to Eritrea, met with
Yemen's minister of fisheries in early April and informed him that a number
of the fishermen would be released, according to Salem Alyan, a member of
the Fishery Cooperative Union.
The acting ambassador told the state-run Saba news agency that the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs and the Yemeni diplomatic delegation in Asmara are
working to secure the release of the remaining Yemeni fishermen.
Eritran authorities have arrested around 420 Yemeni fishermen over the past
two years, according to Alyan. Alyan said fishermen need a mechanism to
regulate fishing between the two countries.
"Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Yemeni fishermen cross this area
and fish in Eritrean waters," Alyan said.
Two National Dialogue Conference (NDC) working groups, the Good Governance
Working Group and the Freedoms Working Group, had demanded the release of
the more than 400 Yemeni fishermen who were being held at the time of the
NDC. The working groups also called on the government to demand better
conditions for detainees.
"Treatment has recently improved--Yemeni fishermen are not required to
perform maual labor as we were in the past," said Mohammed Moharam, one of
the fishermen released on Friday.
Moharam says there about about 130 Yemeni fishermen remaining in detention.
The fishermen are kept in camps. They only received tents to protect them
from the elements six months ago, according to Arif Omar, a fisherman
released in January.
Fishermen return to Yemen in a poor financial state with grim prospects.
They return to Yemen without the possibility to returning to what they were
doing because of the confiscation of their boats.
"I couldn't resume work since being released because my boat and all my
equipment are still in Eritrea. Now, I work for other fishermen to try and
make ends meet," Omar said.
Received on Tue May 06 2014 - 15:32:27 EDT