A plane transporting 32 Egyptian fishermen that had been detained for weeks in Yemen on charges of trespassing in territorial waters arrived in Cairo on Tuesday evening, after Egyptian authorities secured their release from Iran-backed Huthi rebels.
The Huthi coastguard had accused the fishermen of violating the sea border off the southern coast of Yemen. It is not uncommon for the rebel group to detain fishing boats and other vessels that pass through their waters or target Saudi oil tankers and military ships, as well as vessels belonging to Saudi coalition partners, which intervened in Yemen’s civil war in 2015, according to The Associate Press.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi directed authorities to intervene to end the detention of the fishermen in Yemen, however, and eventually secured their release.
Minister of Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs Nabila Makram was among the government officials who received the fishermen upon their arrival at Cairo International Airport last night.
“I followed with pride the intensive efforts that continued for several days to end the crisis of the detention of 32 Egyptian fishermen in Yemen,” Sisi said on his Facebook page.
“These efforts (saved) their lives and transferred them safely to Egypt, within the framework of the state’s keenness to (ensure the security of) its citizens inside Egypt and abroad, and I extend my thanks and appreciation to those responsible for their safe return to their country,” Sisi added.
Image: In this Nov. 9, 2019 file photo, a supporter of Shia rebels, known as Huthis, holds a banner with Arabic writing that reads, “at your order, oh messenger of Allah,” during a celebration of Mawlid al-Nabi the birth of Islam’s prophet Muhammad in Sanaa, Yemen (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed, File)
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
