Henriette Geiger, the EU ambassador to Kenya, said the bloc is working with Kenya in dealing with suspected criminals caught in the region's waters. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Kenya is holding at least 120 suspected pirates and has convicted 18 of them. However, in 2012, a Kenyan court ruled the East African nation has jurisdiction to try Somali pirates carrying out attacks in international waters. "The problem is still the same because there are challenges to prosecution in Kenya of the Somali pirates,” he said. In the early 2010s, Somali pirates hijacked dozens of ships, holding them for millions of dollars in ransom.

Source: Daily Nation May 28, 2024 16:48 UTC