Yemen's Houthi Allegedly Detain 66 Egyptian Fishermen

Yemen's Houthis had been detaining 66 Egyptian fishermen in the western Yemeni province of Al-Hudaydah for six days now, the head of an Egyptian fishermen's union said Saturday.



Ahmed Nassar, the head of the fishermen's union in the Nile Delta province of Kafr al-Sheikh, told Anadolu Agency that the detained fishermen had stopped contacting their families three days ago.



The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that the fishermen were detained by Yemeni authorities on board of three fishing boats.



Nassar said, however, that the fishermen were detained by the Houthis, noting that the fishermen had told their families three days ago that their conditions were bad.



He said the fishermen told their families also that they were being maltreated by their Houthi captors, prompting these families to address the Foreign Ministry to take measures to secure their release.



"The fishermen were just doing their work," Nassar said, insisting that the 66 fishermen did not violate the territorial waters of Yemen.



Foreign Ministry spokesman Badr Abdel-Ati, meanwhile, said his ministry was contacting Yemeni authorities to secure the quick release of the fishermen.



"We warned several times against violating the territorial waters of other countries," Abdel-Ati told AA.   



Houthis have been expanding their control in different areas in Yemen after they controlled the capital Sanaa on September 21.



Yemen in general has been suffering turmoil since a popular uprising that erupted in 2011 toppled longstanding president Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2012.



By Hagar al-Dosoki



englishnews@aa.com.tr



www.aa.com.tr/en - Kahire