Micah Reddy has been released and is on his way home

South African journalist Micah Reddy has been released from custody in Djibouti. Reddy reported for amaBhungane from 2017 to 2023. Photo taken from The Eastleigh Voice as fair use.

South African journalist Micah Reddy has been released from custody in Djibouti and is on his way home, according to his family.

This comes after Reddy and his local fixer, Kooki Mahmoud, were reported missing in Djibouti.

Mahmoud has also been released, without being charged. It has been reported that they were held for allegedly not having media accreditation to work in the country.

GroundUp asked Djibouti’s embassy why Reddy and Mahmoud were detained but received no response.

Reddy was held in the custody of Djiboutian authorities from about 1pm on Saturday. Despite numerous efforts to establish his whereabouts and condition, no official information was provided until Tuesday, his family said in a statement.

Fergus Shiel, his editor at the Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), told Daily Maverick reporter Peter Fabricius that Reddy was not in Djibouti to report about the country. He had arrived in Djibouti on a flight from Johannesburg on Thursday at about 6.30pm.

Fabricius explained:

Djibouti is considered a repressive country, both for media and more broadly. Freedom House, in its 2026 Freedom in the World report, rated it “Not Free”, giving it a score of only 24 out of 100 for political rights and civil liberties.

It said: “Djibouti is a republic ruled by a powerful president, Ismaël Omar Guelleh, who has been in office since 1999 and is not subject to term limits. While Djibouti technically has a multiparty political system, the ruling Union for a Presidential Majority (UMP) uses authoritarian means to maintain its dominant position. The opposition’s ability to operate is severely constrained, and journalists and activists who air criticism of Guelleh or the UMP are regularly harassed or arrested.”

Fabricius pointed out:

The unusual feature of Djibouti is that because of its strategic location at the narrow entrance to the Red Sea, it hosts major military bases of the US, France, China, Italy and Japan and smaller military bases of Germany, Spain and Saudi Arabia. This apparently helps to immunise the government from criticism for its repressive policies.

A statement by Reddy’s family said the past few days of uncertainty and waiting had been devastating:

“Despite repeated efforts by Micah’s family, colleagues, media organisations, diplomatic representatives and press freedom groups, we were unable to receive direct confirmation of their condition or establish contact with them.

“Micah is a respected South African investigative journalist who is committed to a robust and free press and has spent his career advancing the public interest through ethical, rigorous and courageous reporting. …

“We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has supported us and worked to help secure Micah’s return. We are particularly grateful to the South African and UK governments, diplomatic missions and multilateral bodies who worked tirelessly to establish his whereabouts and secure information about his welfare.

“We are profoundly grateful that, for our family, this story has a safe and happy ending. We are exceptionally grateful to colleagues in the media for all their support in the last three days. We ask that the privacy of the family is respected upon Micah’s return until such time as we are ready and have all the information to share with the media.”

Angela Quintal, regional director of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), said the organisation was greatly relieved that Reddy was released.

“Four days in secretive intelligence custody is unacceptable treatment of an investigative journalist. CPJ welcomes the overdue release of Reddy and Mahmoud but serious questions remain about their detention and Djibouti’s opaque accreditation process,” said Quintal.

“Djibouti’s strategic importance should invite greater scrutiny, not excuse censorship and intimidation,” she told GroundUp on Tuesday afternoon.

Chrispin Phiri, spokesperson for South Africa’s international relations department, told GroundUp on Monday that the department had been engaging with the Djibouti authorities.

Reddy’s family thanked his legal representatives. At this stage, it is unclear who the lawyers are who secured his release.

Reddy is expected to be home by Tuesday evening.

On Saturday, amaBhungane posted on social media: “Micah is a former amaBhungane journalist and a valued member of the investigative journalism community in South Africa and across the continent.”

He had also previously worked with the Yemen Times.

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