Thirteen Egyptian sailors detained in Yemen due to political and economic circumstances have been released, Assistant Foreign Minister for Consular Affairs Hisham al-Naqib announced Thursday.
The 13 sailors were arrested after their boat collided with the pavement of al-Hudaydah port, which falls under the control of the Houthi rebels.
"The Egyptian ambassador to Yemen has made concerted efforts with Yemeni security authorities and senior officials of the port to ensure the safety of the Egyptian sailors whose health and psychological conditions deteriorated," Naqib mentioned, adding that the sailors were detained in an area near military operations under hard conditions.
The sailors boarded a ship belonging to the World Food Program, flying the United Nations flag, which sailed yesterday heading to the port of Djibouti, said Naqib, pointing out that the Egyptian ambassador to Yemen will contac the sailors on a regular basis during their journey.
Naqib said the 13 sailors will be deported from Djibouti to Cairo.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
