Somalia and the OIC

How do Somalia and the OIC relate today?

Somalia is one of the 57 member states of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), listed as "Federal Republic of Somalia, member since 1969" (OIC, member states). The OIC's Contact Group on Somalia last met in Doha on 28 July 2025 (Arab News Pakistan, 28 July 2025).

On 10 January 2026 the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers met in extraordinary session in Jeddah. It adopted a resolution condemning Israel's recognition of Somaliland (Dawn, 11 January 2026). On 20 June 2026 Somalia signed a US$45 million framework for 2026 to 2028 with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the OIC's development bank (Dawan Africa, 20 June 2026).

When did Somalia join?

Somalia took part in the First Islamic Summit Conference in Rabat, held from 22 to 25 September 1969 (Final Declaration, Rabat, 25 September 1969). It was one of six members of the preparatory committee, with Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Iran, Malaysia and Niger, which met in Rabat on 8 and 9 September 1969 (The Wire). Garowe Online describes Somalia as a founding member (Garowe Online, 27 October 2018).

Somalia joined the Islamic Development Bank on 12 August 1974 (IsDB, Somalia).

Who built the tie?

• Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, OIC Secretary-General, opened the International Contact Group on Somalia meeting in Jeddah on 17 December 2009 (UNPOS, 17 December 2009). He led the Istanbul famine meeting of 17 August 2011 (Terra Daily/AFP, 17 August 2011).
• İhsanoğlu made the first visit to Somalia by an OIC secretary-general on 8 October 2012, meeting President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud and Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon (UPI, 8 October 2012).
• Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, then Turkish prime minister, hosted the August 2011 meeting and visited a Mogadishu camp two days later (Dawn, 17 August 2011; ODI/HPG, February 2015).
• Hesham Youssef, OIC Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, spoke for the OIC at the Contact Group meeting in Mogadishu in October 2018 (Arab News, 29 October 2018).
• Hassan Ali Khaire, then prime minister, opened that meeting at Halane, the first OIC ministerial meeting held in Somalia (Garowe Online, 27 October 2018).
• Hissein Brahim Taha, OIC Secretary-General, met Foreign Minister Ahmed Moallim Fiqi in Jeddah (Somalia Ministry of Foreign Affairs). In January 2026 he said Somalia's unity "allows no compromise or concession" (The Peninsula, 2 January 2026).
• Bihi Iman Ige, Somalia's finance minister, and Muhammad Al Jasser, IsDB president, signed the 2026–2028 framework in Baku (Dawan Africa, 20 June 2026).

What did the OIC do in the 2011 famine?

The OIC's humanitarian department, ICHAD, opened its Humanitarian Coordination Office in Mogadishu in March 2011. It grew from five staff to 35, almost all Somali (ODI/HPG, February 2015). İhsanoğlu had announced in December 2009 that a mission would open from January 2010 (ReliefWeb).

On 17 August 2011 about 40 member states met in Istanbul and pledged US$350 million, against a target of US$500 million. Turkey's share was US$150 million (Terra Daily/AFP, 17 August 2011). The meeting set up a Somali Task Force of Kazakhstan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Senegal and the OIC Secretariat (ODI/HPG, 2015).

The OIC coordinated about 40 aid groups as the "OIC Coalition", including the Qatar Red Crescent, IIRO and IHH. It distributed 25,000 tonnes of food during the famine (same source). A Saudi campaign set up by King Abdullah earmarked US$72 million over two years for recovery through the OIC. This had built 18 primary schools and rehabilitated 15 secondary schools by 2015 (same source).

What has the Islamic Development Bank funded?

• Totals: 89 projects, 84 completed and five active, with total funding listed as 129 million (IsDB, Somalia).
• 2016: a US$4.9 million agreement for higher education (same source).
• 2026–2028: a US$45 million Country Engagement Framework for energy, agriculture, health and vocational training (Dawan Africa, 20 June 2026).
• Debt: Somalia owed the IsDB US$27.87 million at the end of 2025 and repaid US$0.14 million that year (Ministry of Finance, Annual Debt Management Report FY2025). See Debt and debt relief.

Which OIC meetings has Somalia attended or hosted?

• 22–25 September 1969: first Islamic summit, Rabat (see above).
• 17 December 2009: International Contact Group on Somalia, hosted by the OIC in Jeddah (UNPOS).
• 17 August 2011: emergency ministerial meeting on the famine, Istanbul.
• 27 October 2018: OIC Contact Group on Somalia, Mogadishu (Garowe Online).
• May 2024: 15th Islamic Summit, Banjul; President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud cancelled his trip (Dawan Africa).
• 11–12 November 2024: joint Arab-Islamic summit, Riyadh, where Hassan Sheikh gave a keynote on Gaza (Garowe Online, 12 November 2024).
• 28 July 2025: Contact Group on Somalia, Doha (Arab News Pakistan).
• 1 and 10 January 2026: extraordinary meetings in Jeddah on Somaliland (below).

How does the OIC deal with Somaliland?

On 4 January 2024 the OIC General Secretariat issued a statement of solidarity with Somalia after the Ethiopia–Somaliland memorandum of 1 January 2024. It was circulated at the UN as document S/2024/35 (UN Digital Library, S/2024/35).

After Israel recognised Somaliland on 26 December 2025, the OIC Executive Committee met in Jeddah on 1 January 2026 (The Peninsula, 2 January 2026). On 10 January the 22nd extraordinary Council of Foreign Ministers, called at Somalia's request, adopted a resolution rejecting the recognition (Al-Ahram; Dawn, 11 January 2026). It also condemned the visit of Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar to Somaliland on 6 January 2026 (same sources).

Where does the OIC stand at the UN on Somalia?

At the UN Security Council on 29 December 2025, Pakistan, an OIC member, called Israel's recognition "deeply troubling" (Al Jazeera, 30 December 2025). The OIC hosted the 2009 International Contact Group meeting in Jeddah, chaired by the UN Special Representative (UNPOS). See Somalia and the UN.

Related pages

• Somalia and the Arab League
• Somalia and the UN
• Somalia and Turkey
• Somalia and Saudi Arabia
• Somalia and Israel
• Debt and debt relief