On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that the constitutional modifications could not be utilized retrospectively to the president’s present time period.
In a separate resolution, the court declared the chief justice’s dismissal “null and void”, accusing the presidency of interfering with judicial independence.
The president appointed Ibrahim Idle Suleiman, who beforehand held the place, to exchange Ahmed.
The presidency said the dismissal adopted complaints about the administration of justice and was meant to obtain a just and clear judiciary.
But the court rejected that clarification, insisting that the chief justice could only be eliminated through established constitutional procedures.
Former President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed welcomed the court ruling, saying “the country is facing a grave political crisis”, calling on Mohamud to embrace a consensus-based strategy.
The confrontation escalated on Thursday when former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire accused the president of deploying security forces to the Supreme Court and making an attempt to arrest its chief justice.
Khaire accused the president of launching an “assault on the Supreme Court”, according to the AFP information company.
“Somalia stands at a dangerous juncture. The dismantling of our judiciary is a direct threat to the rule of law,” he said.
AFP said it could not independently confirm the reported security deployment, although images circulating in Somali media appeared to show armed personnel inside the court compound.
The rulings have thrown Somalia’s electoral timetable into uncertainty.
The electoral commission has scheduled parliamentary elections for 15 April 2027 and a presidential vote a month later, but opposition teams and the regional administrations of Puntland and Jubaland reject the timetable.
Mohamud has called for national talks from 14 to 18 November to resolve the impasse, but opposition leaders have questioned his legitimacy to convene the discussions.
The political turmoil comes as Somalia continues to battle the Islamist militant group al-Shabaab, which controls massive components of the countryside despite years of navy operations.
Uganda, the largest contributor of troops to the African Union mission combating the militants, announced this week that it deliberate to withdraw its forces by the finish of the yr, including to issues about Somalia’s security.
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