News - Yemen: Hodeidah Governorate received 48 Yemeni fishermen who were released by Eritrean authorities after being detained for 12 days in harsh and inhumane conditions.

The fishermen were welcomed in a symbolic event held at Al-Khouba Port in the coastal district of Al-Luhayyah, where community members expressed solidarity and support for the men after the ordeal they endured.

According to the fishermen’s accounts, Eritrean naval units intercepted them while they were carrying out their usual fishing activities inside Yemeni territorial waters. They were operating on three “jalbah”-type boats spread across different fishing areas.

They reported that Eritrean patrols surrounded them at gunpoint before forcibly escorting them to a naval detention facility in Eritrea.

The fishermen explained that their 12-day detention in the “Jalbub” naval prison was marked by severe suffering and multiple violations. Several were subjected to beatings and physical abuse, forced to carry out hard labor under degrading conditions, deprived of food, mistreated, and denied communication or any form of care.

The released fishermen added that Eritrean soldiers confiscated all their possessions, including their fishing equipment, navigation devices, and provisions. Two of the three boats were seized, and only one was returned to transport them back to Al-Khouba Fishing Port after their release.

This incident is part of a series of repeated assaults on Yemeni fishermen by Eritrean naval forces, amid growing calls from fishermen and Yemeni authorities for international action to stop these violations and protect fishermen whose livelihoods depend entirely on the sea—especially as Yemen continues to face severe economic hardship under the US–Saudi–UAE blockade and aggression.