SANA’A, July 22 – Eritrean authorities captured 15 Yemeni fishing boats Thursday while in international waters. They took the crew members to Eritrean territorial water and looted everything in the Yemeni boats by force.

Abdulrahman Abdullah, one of the fishermen, said, “We were fishing in Yemeni territorial waters, and suddenly the Eritrean authorities showed up at noon. They took us to Eritrea after shooting in air. After that, they took our boats and forced us to gather on three boats and sent us back.”

Abdullah said there were 160 fishermen on the boats, but the Eritrean authorities arrested only a captain and charged him with six months imprisonment.

Abdulelah Makki, director of the Ministry of Fisheries’ office in Hodeida, said the office received 11 complaints from fishermen who have been taken by force from the international passage.

He said that the fishermen were shot at in the Al-Sawabea’ area, 30 miles away from international waterways, who were in a fiberglass boat. Yemeni citizen Mansour Ahmed Yahia, who sells fish in Medi Island of Hajja governorate, led the boat that came under fire.

Makki said the fishermen were released, but they took the boats’ equipments.