Eritrea army deserters seized in YemenEritrea army deserters seized in Yemen
Sanaa, Yemen, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Yemeni security forces have arrested 10 Eritrean army deserters after they illegally entered Yemen from the Red Sea, government sources said Saturday.
The opposition Yemeni Tagamoo' for Reforms Party quoted official sources on its Web Site as saying "The security forces identified the 10 Eritrean as army soldiers who have fled their camps and arrived illegally in the northern Yemeni province of Hajja."
The sources said the deserters were being interrogated and admitted they have fled from the army and went to Yemen in search of work.
The authorities filed no charges against the soldiers, who were initially suspected of being on an intelligence gathering mission in Yemen in view of the strained relations between the two countries over a disputed Red Sea island.
Relations between Eritrea and Yemen deteriorated in recent years after Eritrea captured the disputed island of Hanish that it later handed back to Yemen following international negotiations.