Thirteen Egyptian fishermen were released on Thursday after being detained in Al Hudaydah port near Yemen, the foreign ministry announced in an official statement.
The minister deputy for consulate affairs Hisham Al-Naqib said in the statement that the sailors’ release was a result of the ministry’s “relentless efforts to deport stranded Egyptians in Yemen; amid the security and political turbulence.”
The fishermen were earlier detained in the port, which is currently under the control of Houthi militants, after their boat accidentally hit the port, the ministry stated. Moreover, it stated the fishermen have been exposed to harsh conditions linked to the current conflict in Yemen and the ministry is currently keeping track on their trip back to Cairo via Djibouti.
Several accidents have befallen Egyptian fishermen over the past few months. A fishing boat sunk in the Sudanese territorial waters on 30 January, carrying 14 people. Two were rescued and two bodies was retrieved. Ten people remain missing.
Beginning in March 2015, Saudi Arabia conducted airstrikes within Yemen, targeting locations controlled by Houthis, including Sana’a, Yemen to re-establish the “legitimacy” of the government of President Abdrabuh Mansur Hadi, who is the Saudi-recognised ruler of Yemen.
