Libya releases 7 detained Egyptian fishermen

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Sat, 29 Jul 2017 - 12:28 GMT

BY

Sat, 29 Jul 2017 - 12:28 GMT

 Egyptian fishermen - CC via wikimedia

Egyptian fishermen - CC via wikimedia

CAIRO – 29 July 2017: The Egyptian government’s contacts succeeded Saturday in securing the release of 7 detained fishermen by the Libyan army.

The fishermen were detained at Libyan Ra’s Lanuf town while returning from Zuwarah city northwest Libya, where they work on suspicion of fishing illegally in Libyan waters.

Egyptian Fishermen’s Syndicate head, Ahmed Nassar, appreciated the government’s prompt response to the fishermen syndicate’s calls to intervene and secure the release of the detainees. He added, that within 48 hours the government managed to free the fishermen who are expected to return to Kafr el-Sheikh governorate in the coming few hours.

The fishermen, originally from Kafr El-Sheikh governorate were arrested last week for illegal fishing and trespassing into the Libyan territorial waters.

On Friday, the head of fishermen community in Kafr el-Sheikh, called on the government to intervene to release the detained fishermen and follow up on their situation. He said that “the detainees’ families are worried for the lives of their sons, especially as Libya is in a state of war with armed groups and terrorists.”

This is the latest in several incidents involving Egyptian fishermen arrested in the territorial waters of neighboring countries like Sudan, Libya and Tunisia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly warned Egyptian fishermen against fishing in regional waters, and directed them to respect regional boundaries between countries.

In April 2017, the Egyptian consulate in Jeddah intervened to release six Egyptian fishermen detained in Saudi Arabia.

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