This archive report was first published on 30 September 2019.
On September 30, 2019, a petition challenging the re-election of Jubbaland state president Sheikh Ahmed Islam 'Madobe' reached a dead end due to the lack of a functional judicial system in Somalia.
The petitioner, Abdallah Ahmed Ibrahim, who was barred from contesting for president, is considering taking his case to the East African Court of Justice.
Mr. Ibrahim told The East African that he submitted his petition to the regional court because courts in Somalia lack the capacity to handle the case.
He stated, 'It is time the international community realises that the problem with Somalia is the judicial crisis and not necessarily al-Shabaab. It is unfortunate that people are forced to go to al-Shabaab Sharia courts because there is no alternative.'
Although Somalia is not a member of the East African Community (EAC), Somali nationals are allowed to file petitions at the East African court provided they have a dual citizenship or a resident permit of any of the six EAC partner states.
The Registrar of the EACJ, Yufnalis Okubo, confirmed this, saying, 'Somali nationals are eligible to file petitions at the East African court if they meet the required conditions.'
Mr. Ibrahim has listed four respondents in his petition: the Somalia federal government, the Jubbaland government, the Jubbaland Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (JIEBC), and the Kenyan government.
