Sunday October 18, 2026
Baghdad, Iraq (HOL) — The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) reaffirmed its support for Somalia’s unity and territorial integrity during talks Saturday between Somali Foreign Minister Abdisalam Abdi Ali and OIC Secretary-General Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 52nd session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Baghdad, where the two officials also discussed Somalia’s relations with the 57-member organization and ways to deepen cooperation.
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The OIC said its secretary-general reiterated the organization’s “steadfast support for the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia.”
Ali, for his part, praised the organization’s role in strengthening solidarity among Muslim-majority countries.
The reaffirmation comes amid heightened diplomatic disputes over Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 and has operated with its own government and institutions for more than three decades. Somalia continues to consider Somaliland part of its sovereign territory.
The OIC has taken an increasingly explicit position on the issue since Israel recognized Somaliland as an independent state in December 2025.
At an extraordinary ministerial meeting earlier this year, the organization condemned Israel’s recognition decision and reaffirmed what it described as Somalia’s sovereignty, national unity and territorial integrity. It also called on member states and international organizations to avoid official engagement with Somaliland authorities outside the framework of Somalia’s federal government.
The OIC Executive Committee has likewise expressed “full solidarity” with Somalia and rejected actions it says undermine the country’s internationally recognized borders.
Somalia has increasingly sought diplomatic backing from regional and international organizations for its territorial integrity as Somaliland expands its own campaign for international recognition.