Eritrea has formally returned a Red Sea island to Yemen in line with an international arbitration ruling.

The Yemen Defence Minister, Mohammad Diefallah Mohammad raised his country's flag over the island of Hanish as Yemeni army and navy troops took positions on it.

At the same time, Eritrean troops departed on board a helicopter and a naval vessel.

The two countries fought a battle over the three main islands of the Hanish archipelago three years ago, before agreeing to international arbitration.

The court ruled that the Hanish groups of islands, and several smaller islands in the region belonged partly to Yemen and partly to Eritrea.