Egyptian authorities on Monday freed an Egyptian fishing boat and its crew after it was briefly detained in Djibouti waters.
The fishermen were released after intensive negotiations with Djiboutian authorities. The crew included 26 Egyptian fishermen and two Somali guards.
Djibouti authorities detained the fishing boat last month for illegally entering and fishing in the country's waters.
The Egyptian Embassy in Djibouti immediately began communicating with authorities to release the fishermen.
Djibouti authorities released the boat and its crew in exchange for a fine.
Egyptian authorities' intervention allowed the boat to sail out of Djibouti's waters after a relatively short detention period.
Djiboutian media outlets portrayed the incident as a violation of Djibouti's sovereignty and national wealth. They claimed authorities confiscated 60 tons of fish from the boat, but the weight was actually 1.5 tons.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
