HAGUE (SD) – International Court of Justice (ICJ) has Monday said that Somalia’s jurist, Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf who was serving as the president the global court was replaced.

In a statement, the court said an American jurist Joan Donoghue was elected for the post and will serve for the next three years.

President Donoghue who serves highest post of the court for the first time was elected by the 15 bench court.

Before joining the UN court, Donoghue served as a senior adviser to President Barack Obama and his secretary of state Hillary Clinton on international law in addition to various posts as an international law expert.

Russia’s Kirill Gevorgian will be the new deputy president, the court said in a statement Monday.

Justice Yusuf who was elected to head the UN court in 2018 presided over the ongoing maritime case between Somalia and Kenya.

Both Somalia and Kenya are contesting ownership of a triangular territory measuring 100,000km2 in the Indian Ocean boundary.

Somalia went to court in 2014 following what it termed as failure to settle the matter with her neighbour, Kenya bilaterally.

The oral proceedings will resume mid next month. The court verdict is final and not subject to appeal.