Mauritania's Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed elected OIC chief
23:00, 27/08/2026, Thursday
AA
AA
Mauritanian diplomat Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, a veteran Mauritanian diplomat who previously served as foreign minister and UN special envoy for Yemen, was elected secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Thursday at a ministerial meeting in Jeddah that addressed Palestinian statehood and Jerusalem.
Mauritanian diplomat Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed was elected secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Thursday at an extraordinary ministerial gathering in Jeddah, succeeding Chad's Hussein Ibrahim Taha to lead the 57-member bloc.
Extraordinary meeting in Jeddah
The election took place during a special session of OIC foreign ministers convened in the Saudi city, where delegates also examined developments regarding Palestinian statehood and Jerusalem. Ould Cheikh Ahmed, 66, will assume office when Taha's term concludes in November after leading the organization since late 2021.
UN veteran
The incoming secretary-general previously served as Mauritania's foreign minister from 2018 to 2022, and held multiple senior UN positions including special envoy for Yemen from 2015 to 2018. He also worked as deputy special representative for Libya in 2014 and served as humanitarian coordinator in both Yemen and Syria during the preceding decade.
The OIC stands as the world's second-largest intergovernmental organization after the United Nations, with its headquarters in Jeddah. The body concentrates primarily on issues affecting the Muslim world, including the Palestinian national cause and the status of Jerusalem, while Ould Cheikh Ahmed speaks Arabic, French and English.
Comments you share on our site are a valuable resource for other users. Please be respectful of different opinions and other users. Avoid using rude, aggressive, derogatory, or discriminatory language.