The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold an extraordinary meeting of its Council of Foreign Ministers on Saturday (January 10) to discuss escalating political developments in Somalia, the organisation’s General Secretariat said.

In a statement issued on January 7, the OIC said the emergency session was convened in response to recent developments that it said threaten Somalia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. According to the OIC, the trigger was an announcement by Israel recognising the self-declared Somaliland region as an independent state.

The OIC statement followed a visit by Israel’s foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, to Somaliland, less than two weeks after Israel formally recognised the breakaway Somali region as an independent and sovereign state.

The African Union’s Peace and Security Council on January 6 called for the “immediate revocation” of Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, condemning the move as a violation of Somalia’s sovereignty, reiterating the bloc’s long-standing support for the territorial integrity of the Horn of Africa country.

Israeli officials had in the past acknowledged informal contacts and security interests in the Horn of Africa, but successive governments avoided formal recognition, mindful of international law, AU positions and relations with Somalia and its regional partners.

Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991 following the collapse of the central government, is not recognised as a sovereign state by the United Nations or the African Union. Any external recognition is widely viewed in the Horn of Africa as a sensitive issue, given concerns that it could encourage secessionist claims elsewhere in the region and complicate efforts to stabilise Somalia.

The OIC said the meeting aims to forge a unified Islamic position on the issue and to reaffirm collective support for Somalia’s internationally recognised borders, in line with international law and existing OIC resolutions.

Somalia’s federal government has consistently rejected any moves to recognise Somaliland and has previously warned that such actions undermine the country’s unity and ongoing state-building efforts. At the time of writing, Mogadishu had not issued a formal response to the latest development cited by the OIC.

The organisation did not specify whether Saturday’s meeting will be held in person at its headquarters in Jeddah or virtually, but said a communiqué would be issued after the session outlining agreed positions and next steps.

The OIC, which groups 57 member states, has long backed Somalia’s territorial integrity and has played a diplomatic and humanitarian role in supporting the country amid decades of conflict and political fragmentation.