South Africa asked the government of Equatorial Guinea to release two of its citizens who’ve been detained in the country for more than a year.

Peter Huxham and Frederik Potgieter, both South African nationals, were arrested on drug-trafficking charges in February 2023, days after a South African court ordered the seizure of one of Equatorial Guinean Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue’s yachts. The two incidents are linked, Bloomberg reported in April.

International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor, who was on an official visit to the Central African nation, “took advantage of her presence in Equatorial Guinea to raise with the authorities South Africa’s concerns” over the detention, the department said in a statement.

“The minister reiterated South Africa’s plea to the government of Equatorial Guinea for the release of the incarcerated South African citizens.”

The department, which didn’t identify the men, said engagements over the matter are continuing.