In a press release, the ministry adds that the deceased is part of the group of 15 Angolan fishermen "arrested on charges of illegal fishing in Gabonese maritime waters".
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs makes it known to the public that with great concern and the particular attention that the matter deserves, it learned through the Angolan Embassy in Gabon, which has been monitoring the situation from the outset, of the death of another Angolan citizen", reads in the statement, which states that the "official note" is addressed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Gabon.
After recalling that Angola and Gabon share the same maritime platform in the Central African region and that for a long time fishermen from both countries have practiced "with some frequency" artisanal fishing, Luanda stresses that this activity is carried out "often by inadvertently" without considering "border delimitation issues".
"For this reason, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Angola appeals to the authorities of the Gabonese Republic 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", the press release points out.
In the communiqué, the Angolan diplomacy recognizes that the change in the way in which the Gabonese authorities began to deal with this type of issue is due to the recommendations of the Economic Community of Central African States (CEEAC) for the member countries of the bloc to consider "illegal fishing as a matter of criminal jurisdiction".
To overcome this issue, Angola asks Gabon to nominate its representatives in the process of approving the Agreement on the Repatriation of Convicted Persons for its adoption".
Since last February, Angola has had this legal instrument ready for approval and entry into force, awaiting only Gabon's pronouncement, "according to documentation delivered in a timely manner through official channels".
