More than 225 fishing boats and ferries detained near Abd al-Kuri… Who is behind their detention, and why?

The detention of more than 45 ferries and around 180 fishing boats in the waters surrounding Abd al-Kuri Island has raised questions about the party responsible for these measures, the reasons behind them, and the fate of the affected fishermen, amid official calls for urgent intervention to end the crisis.

The local authority in Al-Raydah and Qusai'ar District in Hadramout Governorate announced its rejection of what it described as arbitrary detention measures affecting fishermen's boats from the district and neighboring areas. It said they had been prevented from carrying out their maritime activities without legal grounds, according to a statement it issued.

The statement warned of the impact that continued detention would have on hundreds of families who rely on fishing for their livelihoods, amid the difficult living conditions facing the country.

District Director General Abdulaziz Awadh bin Muhajir said the local authority would send an official memorandum to Hadramout Governor Salem Ahmed al-Khanbashi to follow up on the case with the relevant authorities and work to release the detained boats and ferries.

However, the case raises questions the statement did not answer: Which party issued the detention orders? What reasons led it to prevent this number of fishermen from carrying out their activities? And are there publicly announced legal procedures that justify what happened?

These questions remain unanswered in the absence of an official explanation from the party responsible for the detention, while the fishermen await action to end the crisis and allow them to return to the sea and their source of livelihood.