South African investigative journalist Micah Reddy has gone missing in Djibouti while on a reporting assignment, with his family saying they have received no information from authorities about his whereabouts since he was last contacted on Saturday.
Reddy, Africa editor for the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), arrived in the Horn of Africa country on Thursday and remained in regular contact with relatives and colleagues until communication suddenly stopped, his brother, Niall Reddy, told reporters on Sunday.
“We don’t have any clear updates on his status,” Niall said.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it was increasingly concerned after more than 24 hours had passed without contact with Reddy or his fixer, Kooki Mahmoud.
“CPJ understands their reporting was not focused on Djibouti and urges Djiboutian authorities to establish their whereabouts, credibly confirm their safety, and promptly release them if detained,” Angela Quintal, CPJ Africa Director, said in a statement posted on X.
Niall said his last conversation with Micah took place at about 11 a.m. on Saturday, while the journalist last communicated with colleagues around 1 p.m. that day.
Several hours later, messages sent to Reddy through Signal and WhatsApp were no longer being delivered, raising concerns among his family and colleagues.
READ ALSO: Syria to Help US Locate Missing Citizens – US Envoy
According to his family, Reddy was staying at the Escale International hotel in Djibouti City and was last seen meeting Mahmoud in the hotel lobby. Relatives said the hotel had provided limited information about his movements after that encounter.
Niall said his brother had not mentioned receiving any threats before travelling to Djibouti and was not investigating the country’s government during the assignment.
He added that South African and British officials had contacted Djibouti’s government seeking information following Reddy’s disappearance, but the family had yet to receive clarification about his whereabouts or an official statement from Djiboutian authorities.
A senior official in the Djibouti presidency, Naguib Ali Taher, said Reddy had not registered for media accreditation in the country.
“We need to check the tourist visa records to see if he came to Djibouti,” he said.
A spokesperson for the South African government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
