Sabahi (Washington, DC)

Somalia Ready to Try Piracy Suspects, Ambassador Says

14 January 2013

Somali ambassador to Kenya Mohamed Ali Nur on Sunday (January 13th) said Somalia's judiciary system is now ready to try Somali nationals accused of piracy, Kenya's The Standard reported.

One of Somalia's most notorious pirate leaders -- Mohamed Abdi Hassan, also known as Afweyne (Big Mouth) -- announced his retirement on January 9th after eight years of terrorising vast areas of the Indian Ocean and generating multimillion-dollar ransoms. [AFP] Play Video

"It is time now the pirates being tried in Kenya be taken back to Somalia instead of giving Kenya the burden of looking after these people," Nur said.

Nur made the comment while addressing 64 suspected and 43 convicted pirates at Shimo La Tewa prison in Mombasa. He promised to lobby the Kenyan government to allow Somalis serving prison terms in Kenya to be transferred home to complete them.

The prisoners complained of court delays and asked the ambassador to help speed things up. The Kenyan judicial system has been plagued by delays due to understaffing.

Nur also thanked Kenya for its investment in restoring peace in Somalia.

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