HARGEISA – In an official communication dated October 30, 2025, the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic of Somaliland has issued a directive to suspend the preparations for a national Judicial Conference, stating that the planned timing contradicts the schedule established by law.
The directive, with reference number XIG/ISL/466/2025, was addressed to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Chairman of the Judicial Commission, the Minister of Justice, the Speakers of both Houses of Parliament, and the President of the Republic of Somaliland.
Legal Justification for the Postponement
The Attorney General, Mr. Abdirahman Jama Hayan, stated that his decision was made in reference to a prior letter from the Chief Justice (MS/GMS/G-71/1000/2025, dated October 28, 2025), which aimed to propose members for the conference’s organizing committee.
Citing Article 56(1) of the Judicial Organization Law (No. 24/2003), the Attorney General argued that the proposed timing for the conference is not appropriate. The law stipulates that the Judicial Conference should be convened when the annual judicial leave is declared, which is scheduled for the second month of 2026 (roughly corresponding to Ramadan) as per Article 33(1) of the same law.
A key prerequisite for the conference, as outlined in Article 35(9), is that the Judicial Commission must first prepare and submit a comprehensive annual report at the end of the year. The Attorney General’s letter notes that this report has not yet been prepared.
Ongoing Justice Conference Not Affected
The communication clarifies that this directive does not affect a separate, ongoing preparation for a Justice Conference. That conference is focused on “reviewing the regional state of justice in the country, in consultation with judicial leaders, to establish national policies for developing and preparing judicial services.” This effort is stated to be in line with Article 46(1)(10) of the Government System Separation Law (No. 71/2015).
Based on these legal points, the Attorney General formally recommended “the suspension of the preparations for the Judicial Conference, as it does not conform to the time frame specified by the law.”
The letter was signed by Abdirahman Jama Hayan, the Attorney General of the Republic of Somaliland.
