Special piracy court opens

MOMBASA, Kenya, June 24 (UPI) -- A special court formed to try suspected pirates from neighboring Somalia has opened in Mombasa, Kenya, after donors agreed to fund the court, officials said.

At least 100 suspects are in Kenya already awaiting trial, the BBC reported Thursday.

Kenyan officials earlier this year said the country would stop handling piracy cases unless other countries agreed to help foot the costs, the British broadcaster reported. The new court, located in the Shimo la Tewa prison in Mombasa, is being funded by donors such as the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, the European Union, Australia and Canada.

Pirates based in Somalia have made the Gulf of Aden one of the world's most dangerous shipping lanes by storming ships, taking their crews hostage and holding them for ransom. Naval vessels from different countries have patrolled the Indian Ocean to help protect passing ships from pirates.