Africa-Press – Angola. The nine Angolan fishermen released by the Gabonese judicial authorities on August 23rd, after serving a preventive prison sentence of around two years, for violating the country’s territorial waters and illegal fishing, returned to Angola this Thursday.
Transported on a National Air Force (FAN) aircraft from Libreville to Cabinda, the fishermen were greeted by the president of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira.
The National Air Force aircraft also contained an urn containing the remains of one of the fishermen who died in that country due to illness.
On the occasion, Carolina Cerqueira, who was on a two-day working visit to Cabinda, considered it to be a moment of great consternation and mourning, expressing solidarity, on behalf of the deputies, with the family of the deceased fisherman and with the government of province.
Carolina Cerqueira appealed to fishermen and shipowners to avoid crossing the country’s maritime border lines, reaching the borders of other countries.
The leader of the National Assembly considered it necessary for fishermen to comply with navigability rules, respecting the limits of maritime borders, and to make use of the country’s vast coastline, which has a rich variety of marine species.
For her part, the governor of Cabinda, Mara Quiosa, reaffirmed the need to redouble measures by maritime security authorities and shipowners, to avoid the constant violation of the maritime borders of neighboring countries.
The representative of the Angolan Embassy in Gabon, Belmiro Van-Dúnem, who accompanied the released fishermen to Cabinda, said that the Gabonese authorities have complained about the violation of the maritime border, warning that if any fishermen are detected in their territorial waters they will be condemned. for justice in your country.
On July 20th of this year, six Angolan fishermen were released by Congolese justice after being accused of rape and illegal fishing in the country’s sea.
Since 2021, at least 40 Angolan fishermen who violated the territorial waters of Gabon and Congo have been accused of illegal fishing, some of which were released after serving prison sentences and paying fines.
Available data show that the Cabinda Fishermen’s Association (APC) has just over three thousand legal fishermen in the captaincy, out of a total of 19 thousand who carry out fishing activities in the main municipality of this province and around 800 artisanal boats.
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