After 5 Months of Kidnapping in Somalia.. Egyptian Sailors Arrive in Cairo

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The eight Egyptian sailors who were kidnapped aboard the oil tanker "M/T Eureka" arrived at Cairo Airport on Sunday evening, coming from the Somali capital, Mogadishu, after nearly 5 months of captivity.

They were welcomed by their families and loved ones amidst an atmosphere where feelings of joy mingled with tears following the end of a long ordeal they endured away from their homeland.

The sailors' return came after intensive diplomatic and security efforts led by the Egyptian state over the past weeks to ensure their safety and secure their release.

These efforts resulted in the announcement by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration on September 30, that the crisis of their detention was officially resolved and their return to the country was secured.

The details of the crisis date back to the second of May last year, when the oil tanker "M/T Eureka" was attacked by pirates off the Yemeni coast.

After taking control of the ship, the kidnappers took the crew to the shores of Puntland in northeastern Somalia, where the eight sailors were held for five months, before Egyptian efforts succeeded in securing their release and returning them safely to their families.

Earlier, the sailors recounted the details of the suffering they experienced during the kidnapping period.

Sailor Samah Abdel Azim told "Al Arabiya.net/Al Hadath.net" that what they went through was akin to "scenes from horror movies," explaining that the pirates attacked the ship suddenly in early May without any prior warning.

Abdel Azim also added that the crew members lived through harsh days characterized by hunger, insults, and a lack of water, and they would wake up daily to the sounds of gunfire, which at times led them to believe they would never see their families again.

On his part, sailor Ahmed Mahmoud revealed that the pirates used the crew members as leverage to obtain a financial ransom, pointing out that they allowed the sailors to communicate with their families to force them to provide the required funds, which increased feelings of fear and anxiety among the captives and their families.

Mamdouh also noted that the state of despair drove the sailors at certain stages to consider confronting the armed pirates and attempting to free themselves, despite their awareness of the dangers of taking such a step against heavily armed individuals.

Regarding the last hours before their release, Abdel Azim explained that the sailors were forced to descend from a mountainous area before the special forces of Somalia carried out a landing operation in coordination with the kidnappers.

He also added that they did not realize the reality of what was happening until they were informed that they had become free and would return to Egypt, thus ending a captivity journey that lasted a full 5 months.