New OIC chief Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has held a series of senior UN positions. AFPShow caption: New OIC chief Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has held a series of …Foreign ministers of Organisation of Islamic Co-operation elect diplomat at meeting in JeddahThe NationalAugust 27, 2026
Mauritanian diplomat Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed has been elected secretary general of the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation, succeeding Hussein Ibrahim Taha of Chad.
Mr Ahmed, 65, brings over three decades of experience with the UN and the Mauritanian government to his new role.
He previously served as Mauritania's foreign minister from 2018 to 2022, and held senior UN positions across Africa and the Middle East.
Mr Ahmed was appointed UN special envoy for Yemen in 2015 by then-secretary general Ban Ki-moon, leading peace talks in Switzerland and Kuwait.
