Yemeni fishermen say that they have caught between Somali pirates and international forces sent to eliminate piracy in the Gulf of Aden.
"[The pirates] will kill you for a small thing like a boat engine," the Washington Post quoted one traditional fisherman, Anwar Abdulkader Aisa, as saying. "But the international forces are also a threat."
The Gulf of Aden is the world's piracy hot spot with 100 attempted and actual pirate attacks reported to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) between January and September this year. It is also one of the world's busiest sea lanes, with some 25,000 merchant vessels passing through each year.
Yemeni fishermen said that aircraft from all over the world frequently harassed fishermen in Yemeni-flagged traditional boats. Mr Aisa said that they would hover over his boat every day until it was ascertained that his vessel was for fishing purposes. He added that seven of his colleagues had been arrested.
Somali pirates insist that international forces have a secret agenda to protect their own illegal fishing boats. Pirates claim that international forces are using pirates as an excuse to send more boats.
"If all the piracy was gone, this coalition would continue," said the Somali consul in Aden, Hussein Hagi Ahmed. He said that 90 percent of fish coming out of Somalia were taken illegal. Somali waters are famous for good stores of tuna, snapper and shark.