The statement on Somalia issued by the Uganda Law Society in Kampala on November 10, 2026, signed by its president, Isaac K. Ssemakadde. Credit: Uganda Law Society.
Lawyers’ groups in Uganda and across East Africa urged Somalia’s leaders on Tuesday to respect a Supreme Court ruling that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s term expired in May, and to protect the judges.
The Uganda Law Society said in a statement from Kampala, headed “Uganda paid in blood for Somalia’s peace. Mogadishu must not waste it,” that it was deeply alarmed by what it called the president’s attempt to extend his tenure beyond the term set by the constitution.
The society recalled that Somalia’s Supreme Court ruled on November 5 that constitutional amendments adopted in March 2026 did not extend the mandates of the sitting president and parliament. According to the court, the president’s four year term expired on May 15, 2026, and the terms of both houses of parliament ended on April 14, and elections must be held within 90 days. The president had dismissed Chief Justice Baashe Yusuf Ahmed on November 4 and appointed a replacement, the statement said, and the court declared the dismissal null and void, but the president swore in the new chief justice on November 7 anyway.
The statement, signed by the society’s president, Isaac K. Ssemakadde, said the crisis touched Uganda in particular because in March 2007 it was the first country to send troops to the African Union Mission in Somalia. “These sacrifices were made not only for the absence of war, but for Somalia to rebuild a country founded on peace, dignity, democratic governance and the rule of law,” it said. The society also cited Articles 6(d) and 7(2) of the treaty that founded the East African Community, which Somalia has joined, and which require members to respect democracy and the rule of law.
Later on Tuesday, the East Africa Law Society, the regional body of bar associations based in Arusha, Tanzania, issued its own statement on the safety of Somalia’s judges. It said it was particularly concerned by a diplomatic notification sent by the Chief Justice on November 6, which reported that the security details of him and other Supreme Court justices had been withdrawn, that security vehicles had been placed outside his residence, that security personnel had followed him, and that five justices had been prevented from leaving Somalia. He also reported that no criminal complaint, investigation file or summons had been communicated to him, the statement said.
“Judicial independence is not a privilege of judges; it is a constitutional guarantee owed to every person,” said the statement, signed by the society’s president, Ramadhan M. Abubakar. It cited Article 26 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and asked the federal government to restore security for the judges, stop any intimidation of judicial officers and respect the court’s decisions. It also asked the African Union, the East African Community and the United Nations to engage urgently.
Ahmednasir Abdullahi, a prominent Kenyan lawyer of Somali origin who has backed the court’s ruling, welcomed both statements on X and referred to Hassan Sheikh as Somalia’s “former President.” Rashid Abdi, a Horn of Africa analyst, wrote that Uganda had historically been the biggest contributor to the African peacekeeping mission in Somalia and that the views of its professional bodies “certainly do matter and add pressure on Villa Somalia.”
By Tuesday evening, Mereja Media had not found any response from Villa Somalia to either statement. The attorney general’s office rejected the court’s ruling on November 6, arguing that the court had not first settled the government’s objections to its jurisdiction, and declared the ruling legally void, Somalia Today reported, as Mereja Media noted when the ousted chief justice said he feared for his safety. Mereja Media sent written questions on the ruling and the dismissal to the presidency’s media office on November 5 and had not received a reply when that story ran on November 7.
In Washington on the same day, Senator Ted Cruz said “Somaliland is not Somalia” during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing for Devin Kennington, the nominee for U.S. ambassador to Somalia, according to a clip shared by Somaliland’s mission in the United States. Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, is not recognized by most countries, and Mogadishu considers it part of Somalia.
Earlier Mereja Media coverage includes the Supreme Court’s ruling that Hassan Sheikh’s mandate expired.
Kaab TV reported on Wednesday that former Chief Justice Baashe Yusuf Ahmed and six judges had filed a case against President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud at the East African Court of Justice; the court has not confirmed the filing.
Sources
- Uganda Law Society on X, statement, Nov 10
- Ahmednasir Abdullahi on X, sharing the East Africa Law Society statement, Nov 10
- Ahmednasir Abdullahi on X, on the Uganda Law Society statement, Nov 10
- Rashid Abdi on X, Nov 10
- Somaliland Mission USA on X, Nov 10
- Mereja Media, Somalia’s Supreme Court says Hassan Sheikh’s mandate expired
- Mereja Media, Ousted Somalia chief justice says he fears for safety
- Kaab TV, Nov 11