Chaos in Somalia as president accused of arresting chief justice

Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has tried to move his country toward fully democratic elections, and declared a "transition period" that gave him an extra year in office when his term ended in May. | AFP-JIJI

AFP-JIJI

Nov 6, 2026

MOGADISHU, Somalia – Somalia’s political crisis deepened on Thursday as the opposition accused the president of sending troops to arrest the Supreme Court’s chief justice after the tribunal declared an extension of his term “unlawful.”

Somalia is dealing with multiple crises, with political rivalries that have descended into violent clashes, while the government loses international support for its fight against Al-Shabaab, a powerful Islamist insurgent group.

Somalian President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has tried to move the country toward fully democratic elections, replacing the clan-based system in which elders pick their representatives.

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