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Politics Somalia

Somalia's court and president clash over his term

Somalia's Supreme Court ruled on Nov 5 that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's term ended in May and ordered elections within 90 days. The government rejects the ruling and has sworn in a new chief justice, while the dismissed one says troops occupy the court.

Confidence: medium. The Nov 4 dismissal, the Nov 5 ruling with its 30- and 90-day deadlines, and the Attorney General's rejection are reported the same way by AFP, AP, the BBC, Garowe Online and Dawan Africa. Accounts of troops at the court, withdrawn guards and threats to judges come mainly from the dismissed chief justice and opposition leaders; AFP and AP said they could not verify them, and no government response to them was found. · Updated 11 Nov 2026, 2pm ET

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Why it matters: The dispute over who legitimately governs Somalia comes as al-Shabaab, an al-Qaeda-linked group, controls large parts of the country and Uganda, the largest contributor to the African Union force, plans to withdraw all its troops by the end of 2027. source

What's happening

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's four-year term ended in May 2026. In March parliament passed constitutional amendments lengthening federal terms from four to five years, in a vote most opposition and regional parties boycotted, and the government declared a one-year transition toward Somalia's first nationwide direct elections since 1969, with a parliamentary vote set for April 15, 2027 and a presidential vote a month later. Mohamud says the amendments let him stay in office until then; opponents call it a power grab, factions clashed in Mogadishu in June, and the regional governments of Puntland and Jubaland reject the timetable. On Nov 4 the presidency dismissed Chief Justice Bashe Yusuf Ahmed, citing complaints from judges, court staff and lawyers, and named Ibrahim Idle Suleiman, a former chief justice who had been the president's legal adviser. On Nov 5 five judges of the court's Constitutional Division, ruling on a petition by former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, found that the amendments could not extend sitting officials' terms, that the mandates of parliament and the government ended on April 14 and the president's on May 15, and that the government may handle only routine business. They gave political leaders 30 days to agree on an electoral model and 90 days to hold elections, and the court called the dismissal void. The Attorney General's office says the ruling has no legal effect because the chief justice did not preside, and Suleiman was sworn in on Nov 7 with the president present. Opposition leaders accuse the president of sending troops to the court and pursuing the judges; AFP and AP said they could not verify those accounts. The dispute comes as al-Shabaab holds large rural areas, the UN has closed its political mission and Uganda, the largest troop contributor to the African Union force, plans to withdraw by the end of 2027.

What changed recently

Key figures

30 days and 90 daysDeadlines the Supreme Court set for an electoral agreement and for electionsSupreme Court Constitutional Division ruling, as reported by Garowe Online · 2026-11-05 · source
Parliament and government on April 14, 2026; the president on May 15, 2026Dates the court says federal mandates endedSupreme Court Constitutional Division ruling, as reported by Dawan Africa · 2026-11-05 · source
More than 300Security personnel occupying the Supreme CourtFormer chief justice Bashe Yusuf Ahmed, speaking to Al Jazeera · 2026-11-10 · source

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