Thirty-one Yemeni fishermen arrived at the Hodeidah fishing port (western Yemen) on Thursday, after being kidnapped and tortured in Eritrean prisons for several days.

Upon their arrival, the fishermen recounted how Eritrean authorities seized them from Yemeni territorial waters while fishing aboard three boats. They were taken to Eritrean prisons at gunpoint.

The fishermen described enduring various forms of torture, starvation, and abuse during their three-day captivity. They were forced to return on a single boat, with the remaining boats and fishing equipment confiscated.

On July 26, the Fisheries Authority reported the return of 55 fishermen to the Hodeidah fishing port after being kidnapped and tortured in Eritrean prisons.

Similar incidents of Eritrean kidnappings of Yemeni fishermen have been reported in the past, most recently in June, when 23 fishermen returned to the Hodeidah fishing port after being held captive by Eritrean authorities for about half a month.

The returning fishermen complain of torture, mistreatment, and the confiscation of their boats and belongings by Eritrean authorities, with no government intervention to protect them to this day.