Africa-Press – Angola. The Head of Angolan diplomacy, Téte António, handed over, in Luanda, an official note addressed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Gabon, to deal with the legal issue regarding Angolan fishermen detained in the Central Prison of Libreville.
The note was delivered to the ambassador of Gabon in Angola, during an audience granted by minister Téte António, during which they addressed the situation of the death of another Angolan citizen in the Central Prison of Libreville.
He is an Angolan citizen belonging to the group of fifteen (15) fishermen arrested on charges of illegal fishing in Gabonese maritime waters.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MIREX) informs, in the note, that it is in the public domain that Angola and Gabon share the same maritime platform in the Central African region, and that since the most remote times, the two peoples have practiced, with some small-scale fishing on both sides, often inadvertently, without taking into account border delimitation issues.
For this reason, MIREX appeals to the Gabonese authorities for a humanitarian sense, with the aim of observing greater compliance in order to avoid further loss of life among the fishermen who are still detained in the Central Prison of Libreville.
He adds that the Angolan side is aware that the change in the way in which this type of question has been dealt with for some time, is due to the incorporation into the Gabonese legal system of the provisions relating to the recommendations of the Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC ) which guide the Member States of the Organization to treat the issue of illegal fishing as matters of the criminal forum.
In this sense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Angola appeals to the Gabonese counterpart in order to mobilize the actors of their country involved in the process of approval of the Agreement for the Repatriation of Convicted Persons.
Angola has the aforementioned legal instrument ready for approval and entry into force, awaiting only the pronouncement of the Republic of Gabon, according to documentation delivered in a timely manner through official channels.
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