The Plight of Yemeni Fishermen: Economic Devastation and Human Rights Abuses Amid Conflict
The plight of Yemen's fishermen extends far beyond the nation's war-torn economy. Along the Red Sea coast, they face relentless challenges, including harassment by Eritrean authorities and the depletion of marine resources by foreign vessels. Fishing trips have transformed into perilous ventures, not just because of harsh weather, poverty, and Houthi attacks, but also due to the brutal actions of Eritrean forces, leading to death, abduction, imprisonment, and torture. Additionally, the activities of foreign vessels depleting fish stocks in Yemeni territorial waters in the Red Sea have significantly impacted Yemeni fishermen, depriving them of their resources and livelihoods.
Abduction of Yemeni Fishermen
The Insan Rights and Freedoms Organization reported that in 2023 alone, 274 Yemeni fishermen were killed, and 215 were injured due to direct targeting by Eritrean authorities during their chases, abductions, and torture in prisons. The organization stated that more than 2,000 fishermen were abducted, and 476 fishing boats were destroyed by Eritrean authorities.
According to the Ministry of Fish Wealth, since the outbreak of the war in Yemen between 2014 and 2023, over 7,000 fishermen have been abducted, most of them from Yemeni territorial waters in the Red Sea. Approximately 1,632 abductions occurred in 2021 and 2022, and between 2010 and 2017, Eritrean authorities detained more than 4,600 Yemeni fishermen.
Release Without Boats
In May 2024, about 17 fishermen returned to Yemeni shores after being held for weeks in Eritrean prisons. In 2023, 496 fishermen were released after being forcibly detained by Eritrean forces. Local media reported that Eritrean authorities released another 66 fishermen from El-Khokha district in southern Hodeida province after months of abduction. Another group of 29 fishermen was released on November 14, 2023, after their equipment and boats, worth millions of riyals, were seized, bringing the total number of fishermen released in 2023 to around 591.
On December 17, 2022, 121 Yemeni fishermen, including children and elderly individuals, were released by Eritrean coast guard forces from international waters. A human rights official reported that 11 children were among those released, and 113 fishermen remained in Eritrean custody during 2022. In July 2022, the Eritrean navy released 80 Yemeni fishermen after eight months of detention and confiscation of their boats and equipment in Yemeni territorial waters. In June 2022, the legitimate Yemeni government announced that Eritrean authorities released 113 fishermen in exchange for seven of their soldiers who were detained by Yemeni coast guards near Hunaish Island.
Meanwhile, the Acting Yemeni Ambassador to Eritrea, Mohammed Al-Azzani, stated that in 2014, 567 fishermen were released after all their possessions, including their boats, were confiscated. In 2013, 1675 fishermen were released. The Cooperative Fisheries Union estimated that in 2014, about 290 fishermen remained detained in Eritrea, and approximately 851 boats were confiscated. The Cooperative Fisheries Union reported that from 2006 to 2014, Eritrean authorities detained around 863 Yemeni fishing boats.
Economic Losses
Yemen's fish production saw a significant decline in 2019, dropping by about 4% compared to 2015, indicating that the years of war have also brought severe hardships for Yemeni fishermen. Recent statistics from the General Authority for Fish Resources in the Red Sea, run by the Houthi group, showed that the fishing sector's losses since the outbreak of the Yemeni war in 2015 until 2023 have exceeded $12.6 billion. The losses incurred by fishermen due to arrests and boat confiscations since 2010 have amounted to more than 30 billion Yemeni riyals, approximately equivalent to $120 million.