Twenty four Egyptian fishermen detained in Tunisia and Sudan for illegal fishing have been released, the foreign ministry said on Sunday.

The ministry's assistant for consular affairs and Egyptians abroad, Hisham El-Nakeeb said that Sudanese authorities released on Sunday 15 Egyptian fishermen who have detained since mid August for illegal fishing and entering Sudanese territorial waters.

The Sudanese move came after Egypt’s presidential pardon of a number of Sudanese citizens detained in Egypt.

Hisham El-Nakeeb also announced that the Egyptian embassy in Tunisia managed to secure the release of nine Egyptian fishermen arrested in Tunisian territorial waters for illegal fishing in October.

The fishermen returned to Egypt on Saturday after being interrogated and fined by Tunisian authorities.

Ahmed Nassar, the Egyptian fishermen syndicate head, reported that the fishermen had been detained on two fishing boats for 20 days and 10 days each.

Nassar called for the quick release of the boats, as the procedures take more time after the fishermen are released.

In August, Tunisia released 15 Egyptian fishermen who were arrested a month prior near Sfax port, also for territorial breach.

That same month, Sudan released 101 Egyptian fishermen who were detained near Port Sudan for illegally trespassing on their way to Eritrean waters.