Somalia Judicial Crisis: UN Experts Call for Chief Justice’s Reinstatement

According to the experts, the Government refused to comply with the rulings and deployed hundreds of security personnel to the Supreme Court to disrupt its work and intimidate judges.

UN experts today condemned the Somali Government's dismissal of Chief Justice Bashe Yusuf Ahmed on 4 November 2026, describing his removal by presidential decree as unlawful interference with judicial independence. They said the decision bypassed constitutional procedures, including parliamentary approval or a proposal from the Judicial Services Commission. His replacement within days, through a process the experts said failed to follow legal requirements, has raised serious concerns about respect for the courts and the rule of law.

Ahmed was removed the night before the Supreme Court was scheduled to rule on the constitutionality of measures extending the terms of the President and Parliament from four to five years. Five judges continued hearing the case on 5 November, ruling that the extensions were unlawful, that both terms had expired, and that elections must take place within 90 days. The judges declared the Chief Justice's dismissal unconstitutional and found that it had sought to obstruct the Court's consideration of the term extensions.

According to the experts, the Government refused to comply with the rulings and deployed hundreds of security personnel to the Supreme Court to disrupt its work and intimidate judges. Seven Supreme Court judges had their personal security protection withdrawn despite risks to their safety, and they have been banned from travelling. The experts condemned these actions as attempted intimidation and serious threats to the judges' security, calling for their protection to be restored urgently.

Replacement ceremony draws demands to restore Ahmed to office

A ceremony to swear in Ibrahim Idle Suleiman as Chief Justice took place on 7 November, with the President attending the proceedings. The UN experts described Suleiman as a purported replacement, challenging the legality of the process that followed Ahmed's dismissal. They called for Ahmed's reinstatement as the lawfully appointed Chief Justice and demanded guarantees for his safety and the security of every other judge.

Judges must be able to decide cases without threats or pressure

International, African and national law require judicial independence, including in political disputes, which the experts described as essential to the rule of law and democracy. They stressed that judges must be free to decide cases without improper influence, pressure, threats or interference, and that judicial proceedings must be protected from inappropriate intervention. Suspension or removal is permitted only on grounds of incapacity or conduct that makes a judge unfit for office, through fair hearings that apply established judicial standards and provide independent review.

Judicial safeguards carry wider consequences for Somalia's stability

The experts pointed to the Principles for Judicial Appointments as the framework setting out safeguards for selecting and appointing judges, placing the replacement process within their broader concerns about judicial independence. Earlier concerns raised through UN reporting warned that irregular and contested constitutional reforms and the absence of an independent judiciary could weaken Somalia's counter-terrorism and stabilisation efforts at a time of grave danger from Al Shabaab. Calling on security forces to stand down, the experts urged the authorities to restore Ahmed to office, reinstate the judges' personal protection and guarantee their security.

Tags: Somalia, UN Experts, Judicial Independence, Bashe Yusuf Ahmed, Supreme Court, Rule of Law, Constitutional Reform, Judges' Security, Human Rights, Al Shabaab