Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. Several Indonesian citizens were reported kidnapped after pirates attacked a fishing vessel off the coast of Gabon, Central Africa, according to local authorities on Monday. 

The incident occurred about seven nautical miles southeast of Equata when the Gabon-flagged fishing boat IB Fish 7 was assaulted by armed assailants.

“The attackers, identified as three armed men, abducted nine crew members, including four Indonesian and five Chinese nationals,” Gabon Navy Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Charles Hubert Bekale Meyong said in a televised statement, as reported by antaranews.com on Tuesday (13/1/2026).

The remaining six crew members, comprising Indonesians, Chinese, and a Burkinabe citizen, ere left unharmed on board. Gabonese security forces later secured the vessel and escorted it to the capital’s port.

Authorities said the situation is under control at the national level, while prosecutors have launched an investigation into the piracy and kidnapping.

(mg/inp/pr/rs)