Somalia president term extension 'unlawful': Supreme Court

Somalia's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the extension of the president's term by one year, which sparked violent clashes with the opposition, was "unlawful".

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

Mohamud's term ended in May, but his government declared a "transition period" that gave him an extra year in office to prepare for the first nationwide democratic elections, which are due in April and May 2027.

The president argued this was legal under amendments to the constitution passed by parliament in March, but that vote was boycotted by opposition parties and regional leaders.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that the amendments did not apply to his current term and that he should have left office in May.

Mohamud announced late Wednesday that he was dismissing the chief justice, Bashe Yusuf Ahmed, and appointing a replacement.

There were unconfirmed reports that Ahmed was under arrest on Thursday.

The court rejected the dismissal in a separate statement, saying the move was designed "to obstruct the administration of justice in the constitutional case filed before the Supreme Court".

"The dismissal announced in the statement published on the Presidency's Facebook page is null and void," it added.

The constitutional changes sparked uproar in the deeply fragmented country.

The flare-up comes at a time when Somalia is also facing a security crisis related to the long-running insurgency by the Al-Shabaab Islamist group.

International donors, frustrated by the lack of progress against the militants and the endless political chaos, have been slashing funding for the international military mission.