Former Somali Supreme Court president calls for withdrawal of 300 soldiers
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Shabelle Media Network
Baashe Yusuf Ahmed, former president of Somalia's Supreme Court, is contesting his dismissal and asking President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to withdraw the 300 soldiers deployed around the court. He says the military presence threatens the independence of the judiciary, according to Shabelle Media Network.
Baashe Yusuf Ahmed, former president of Somalia's Supreme Court, is asking President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud to withdraw the 300 soldiers deployed around the seat of the country's highest court. He says the presence of heavily armed soldiers creates a climate of fear and endangers his personal safety, according to Shabelle Media Network.
Baashe also contests the conditions of his dismissal, which he considers contrary to the law. He says he is defending the independence of the judiciary rather than his own position at the head of the Supreme Court, and calls for the security forces to be withdrawn from judicial premises.
The challenge comes amid a wider dispute over the procedures applicable to the removal of senior judicial officials and over the separation of powers in Somalia. Somalia's Supreme Court had previously ruled illegal Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's remaining in power, according to an article published on 5 November about that decision.
The crisis follows the dismissal of Baashe Yusuf Ahmed by Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, announced on 4 November as part of the dismissal of the president of the Somali Supreme Court.
Update of 7 November 2026: Baashe Yuusuf Axmed, former president of the Somali Supreme Court dismissed by Xasan Sheekh, says he is not safe in Mogadishu and contests his removal. Read: Former Somali Supreme Court president says he is threatened in Mogadishu.
