Jeddah, o2 Jan. 2025

Jeddah

Report by Shahid Nayeem

In a decisive demonstration of diplomatic unity, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) convened an extraordinary meeting at its Jeddah headquarters. The urgent session was a direct response to Israel's controversial recognition of the Somaliland region as an independent state, an act perceived as a significant challenge to regional sovereignty norms. Delegates collectively issued a strong condemnation, labeling the move a unilateral and unlawful infringement upon the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Somalia, a fellow OIC member state.

Pakistan’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Syed Mohammad Fawad Sher, articulated a position of deep principle and concern. He contextualized Israel's recognition within a broader and more alarming pattern, noting its prior references to Somaliland as a potential site for the forced resettlement of Palestinians from Gaza. Ambassador Fawad Sher argued that this linkage revealed a dangerous policy export, transferring the destabilizing tactics of occupation and displacement from the Middle East to the fragile political landscape of the Horn of Africa. This, he warned, posed a direct threat to regional peace and security.

Broadening the critique to foundational international principles, the Ambassador reaffirmed Pakistan’s categorical rejection of any plan for the forced dislocation of Palestinians. He underscored Pakistan’s steadfast solidarity with the Palestinian people in their legitimate struggle for self-determination, asserting that a just and lasting peace is contingent upon the establishment of an independent, contiguous, and sovereign Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Concluding with a powerful appeal for collective responsibility, Ambassador Fawad Sher called upon the OIC and the broader international community to stand in firm and operational solidarity with Somalia. The meeting transcended mere condemnation, serving as a robust reaffirmation of the bloc's commitment to defending member states' territorial integrity against external provocations. It highlighted the interconnected nature of sovereignty issues, positioning the OIC’s support for Somalia as inseparable from its enduring advocacy for a just resolution to the Palestinian question.