Hodeida - Saba:
Every morning, the Yemeni fisherman sets sail, carrying the hope of returning with enough to feed his children. But the sea is no longer his only challenge.
The Saudi enemy and its mercenaries have become a nightmare that chases them in the waters of the Red Sea.
Seven fishermen returned two days ago to As-Salif in Hodeida Governorate, after four months of captivity and torture in the enemy's prisons. Their livelihood became a crime, and their boats turned into interrogation sites under the whips of oppression and starvation.
The fishermen never imagined that their fate would be imprisonment when they sailed in search of their daily sustenance. However, a malfunction in the engine and a fierce wave swept them away, where they were intercepted by Saudi patrols and taken to Farasan Island. They were subjected to harsh interrogations before being transferred to prisons in Jizan, where their bodies endured all forms of cruelty.
One of the returning fishermen said, "We had nothing but our nets and the fish we caught, but they treated us as criminals. They beat us, starved us, and forced us to sleep on the cold ground for long days, without cover or medicine."
Another fisherman described the moments of terror he lived in the enemy's prisons: "They blindfolded us and interrogated us daily, threatening us with death if we returned to fishing. One of the guards told us: 'The sea is not yours, don’t go back to it.' But we cannot live without it. It is our only source of livelihood."
Hodeidah Governor Abdullah Ateifi described what happened as "a crime within a series of brutal violations committed against fishermen," explaining that the Saudi enemy has not only kidnapped fishermen but has systematically targeted them since 2015, bombing their boats in the open sea, killing and injuring hundreds of them in direct airstrikes, in addition to the maritime blockade that has deprived thousands of their livelihoods.
He confirmed that these crimes will not deter the people of Tihama from persevering, but they reveal the true face of Saudi terrorism against the Yemeni people. The targeting of fishermen is perhaps the clearest example of the ugliness and bankruptcy of this enemy.
For his part, the head of the General Authority for Fisheries in the Red Sea, Hussein Al-Attas, confirmed that the aggression has turned the sea into a graveyard for fishermen, whether through pursuit, abduction, or direct bombing.
He explained that hundreds of fishermen have gone missing or been killed without the international community taking any action regarding these repeated violations against them. He stressed that the tragedy of their abduction is not limited to Saudi patrols but extends to their Eritrean mercenaries, who chase fishermen in Yemeni waters and detain them in secret prisons.
Al-Attas called on the international community to take urgent action to condemn these crimes and stop the systematic targeting that threatens Yemen’s fisheries sector.
The fishermen returned to their homes on the night of Eid, but the Eid was not joyful. They returned with exhausted bodies and hearts full of sorrow for a reality where searching for a living has become an adventure from which no one may return.
What happened to these seven fishermen is not an isolated incident, but another chapter in the ongoing violations against Yemeni fishermen, who face death, either by drowning at sea or suffocating in the enemy’s prisons. The question remains: How long will fishermen and their boats remain targets of aggression, and how long will these violations continue to affect them?
According to the latest report published by the General Authority for Fisheries in 2023, the fishing sector in the Red Sea has incurred losses exceeding $12.649 billion since the beginning of the aggression, including $9.451 million due to the bombing and systematic destruction of infrastructure, and $6.270 million in losses of fishing boats and equipment.
The restrictions imposed by the aggression have caused a halt in fish production, with losses amounting to $3.610 billion, while the losses from halted investment projects have reached nearly $2 billion.
The bombing and direct targeting have led to the martyrdom of 273 fishermen, with 214 others injured, in addition to the destruction of 295 fishing boats, 225 of which were in Hodeidah and 70 in Midi in Hajja Governorate. More than 2,000 fishermen have been abducted, and 173 boats have been pirated.
In the face of these figures, the international community remains silent, ignoring the grave crimes and violations Yemeni fishermen are subjected to, while the people of the Tihama coast continue their resistance to all attempts to starve them, affirming that the sea will remain theirs, despite the oppression and death that lurks in every wave.
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