Turkey’s foreign minister says he has called for an urgent meeting of Muslim nations to discuss the famine in Africa.

 Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters Friday that the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation – formerly known as the Islamic Conference – could meet either in Istanbul or in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to discuss the situation in famine- and drought-stricken Somalia.

 Davutoglu is scheduled to visit Ethiopia and South Africa later this month. He said Friday he also plans visits to Kenya and “some other countries” in the region.

 The U.N. says tens of thousands of people have died from malnutrition in Somalia in recent months.

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