Tuesday 3 Feb 2026 {HMC} — Yemen’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources has accused Eritrean forces and Somalia’s Puntland administration of carrying out deadly attacks, arbitrary arrests and illegal detentions of Yemeni fishermen working in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
In a statement issued Monday, the ministry said Eritrean forces launched a direct armed assault on Yemeni civilian fishermen while they were operating in Yemen’s territorial waters in the Red Sea. The attack, it said, involved multiple types of weapons and resulted in deaths and injuries, with several fishermen arrested and forcibly taken away.
The ministry described the incident as a grave threat to the safety and security of Yemeni fishermen, saying it undermined their livelihoods and violated their legal right to work and live with dignity.
Yemeni officials also strongly condemned what they described as illegal actions by Puntland authorities, particularly in the port city of Bosaso. The statement said fishermen from Yemen’s Hadramawt region were arrested while fishing, and that their boats, equipment and catch were confiscated.
The ministry said it holds both the Eritrean government and the Puntland administration fully responsible under international law and humanitarian law. It demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all detained fishermen, guarantees for their safety, their return to Yemen, and the restoration of their boats, equipment and belongings without loss.
It also called for those responsible for the alleged violations to be held accountable.
The ministry urged the United Nations, international organizations, and human rights and humanitarian agencies to meet their legal and moral obligations by condemning the incidents and taking swift action to protect Yemeni fishermen operating in border and international waters.
Puntland authorities have in recent years repeatedly detained Yemeni fishermen, accusing them of illegal fishing in Somali waters, a practice that has periodically strained relations between local Somali administrations and fishing communities from Yemen.
Source Sonna
