The Tunisian Foreign Ministry expressed Monday “its regrets” following the incident between a Tunisian coast guard ship and an Egyptian fishing boat, making two killed and two wounded, among the Egyptians who infiltrated the Tunisian territorial waters.
“The settlement of this affair will be made in accordance with the arrangements scheduled in such circumstances,” said the Ministry, stressing “the privileged fraternity relations binding Tunisia and Egypt.”
Two Egyptian fishermen were killed and two other wounded during a chase, Sunday, east of Kerkennah island, between a Tunisian coast guard speedboat and an Egyptian fishing boat, indicated Monday the National Defence Ministry.
Warning shots launched by the Tunisian coast guard reached “accidentally” the Egyptian fishermen who infiltrated the Tunisian waters refusing to obey the orders of the Tunisian coast guards. The Egyptian boat also proceeded to risky manoeuvres with the support of another Egyptian boat looking for hitting the Tunisian coast guard boat.
The Egyptian fishing boat, with on board 12 fishermen, the corpses of the two Egyptian fishermen killed as well as the two other wounded was taken to the Sfax naval base where it was searched. The two Egyptian wounded fishermen were sent to the Sfax regional hospital.
On Saturday at 9 pm, an altercation took place between a contingent of ten Egyptian fishing boats and Tunisian fishing boats in the El Attaya zone off Kerkennah island. The Tunisian authorities had informed on several occasions the Egyptian authorities concerning the attempts of infiltration of Egyptian fishing boats in the Tunisian sea areas, specifies the Defence Ministry.
According to the National Defence Ministry, a similar incident had taken place last year at the biological rest period in the region between an Egyptian fishing boat which, when fleeing, collided with the Tunisian coast guard ship causing it important material damages.
2012 AllAfrica