Almotamar.net - Deputy Security Chief of Taiz governorate confirmed Monday the arrival of 171 Yemeni fishermen who were detained with Eritrean authorities since the beginning of this month.

General Abdulhakim Nouman told almotamar.net that the fishermen arrived at Al-Makha port in two batches; the first 101-fishermen batch arrived on Wednesday while the other 70 fishermen arrived last Thursday. They had been kidnapped by Eritrean authorities while in the international waters without any legal justifications and were kept in detention for more than a week.

As there are other Yemeni fishermen kidnapped and retained by Eritrean authorities general Nouman affirmed that these acts varied out by the Eritreans against Yemeni fishermen are considered violations of the agreement concluded between Yemen and Eritrea with regard to interception of fishermen by both sides.

Acts of kidnapping and piracy against Yemeni fishermen by Eritrean authorities in the international waters have increased lately. Yemen has protested officially to continuation of the state of Eritrea in detaining Yemeni fishermen for almost a year. The Yemeni foreign ministry summoned the Eritrean ambassador to Sana'a on the 30th of last June and informed the protest of the Yemeni government against continued detention of Yemeni fishermen for more than a year and sending them to a military court. The Yemeni foreign ministry demanded the Eritrean government to speed up the release of the Yemeni fishermen.