Sudan jails 46 Egyptian fishermen for entering its waters

April 12, 2015 (KHARTOUM) – Sudanese authorities released three Egyptian fishermen and sentenced 46 others to one month in jail for trespassing in its territorial waters in the Red Sea, a diplomat said on Sunday.

The Egyptian ambassador to Khartoum, Osama Shaltout, said in a statement to the Middle East News Agency (MENA) on Sunday that Sudanese authorities released one of the elderly fishermen and two minors were who were aboard the fishing boats adding that deportation proceedings were in process.

“The judicial authorities in Sudan issued a preliminary ruling against 46 Egyptian fishermen on board one of the three boats confiscated including imprisonment for one month and fines and confiscation of the fishing boat,” he said adding that the ruling will be appealed.

Shaltout explained that the fishermen were originally on their way to Eritrea.

Fifty-Nine other fishermen remain in Sudanese custody and their fate is not yet clear.

(ST)