Egyptian fishermen arrive in Cairo after being held for months in Eritrea for illegal fishing

CAIRO – 25 April 2021: A group of Egyptian fishermen who had been held in Eritrea have come home safely after month-long of diplomatic efforts, according to Egypt’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday.

Ambassador Amr Abbas, assistant to the foreign minister, received the fishermen in Cairo Airport after taking a flight from Eritrea. The ministry had received distress calls from the families of the fishermen, and has since coordinated with the Egyptian embassy in Asmara and the Eritrean embassy in Cairo.

The Egyptian follow-up included a phone call to Eritrean Foreign Minister Othman Saleh in February to make sure the fishermen were in good conditions, and receiving the families of the fishermen from Dakahlia, Port Said and Damietta to update them.

The fishermen had been detained for illegal fishing in the Eritrean territorial waters, a practice that the Egyptian Ministry of Emigration has repeatedly warned against.

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