South African investigative journalist Micah Reddy, fixer Kooki Mahmoud reported missing in Djibouti

South African investigative journalist Roshan Micah Reddy and his local fixer, Kooki Mahmoud, have been reported missing in Djibouti, prompting calls for authorities to urgently establish their whereabouts and ensure their safety.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said it was “deeply concerned” by reports of the pair's disappearance and urged Djiboutian authorities to provide information about their status.

“Authorities must immediately clarify their whereabouts, confirm their well-being, and ensure their safety,” CPJ said.

As of Sunday morning, September 20, there was no publicly verified explanation from Djiboutian authorities for the disappearance, and it remained unclear whether the two had been detained or were missing under other circumstances. No evidence reviewed so far establishes that they are in state custody.

The alarm was initially raised by La Voix de Djibouti, which published an urgent notice on September 19 identifying Reddy as a South African journalist and Africa coordinator at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists.

Reports say Reddy had travelled to Djibouti with Mahmoud for a reporting assignment. Contacts subsequently lost communication with the pair, triggering concern among colleagues and press-freedom organisations.

CPJ has called for a prompt and transparent investigation and for any available information to be provided to their families and employers.

South African diplomatic authorities have also been urged to engage their Djiboutian counterparts over the case. As of Sunday morning, however, no publicly available statement located in this review from South Africa's government confirmed Reddy's whereabouts.

Who is Micah Reddy?

Reddy is a Johannesburg-based investigative journalist with extensive experience covering corruption, governance and politics.

He is currently Africa coordinator at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), according to current biographical information cited in reports on his disappearance.

Before joining ICIJ, he worked at South Africa's amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism, which he joined in 2017.

His investigative work has included reporting on some of South Africa's most politically sensitive subjects. He was among journalists involved in the collaborative Gupta Leaks investigation and later worked with amaBhungane journalists Dewald van Rensburg and Sam Sole on investigations into businessman Zunaid Moti and his companies.

Court records from litigation involving amaBhungane independently identify Roshan Micah Reddy as one of the investigative journalists involved in that reporting.

Reddy has also worked outside South Africa. His career has included a period as managing editor of the Yemen Times in Sana'a, work in Egypt and reporting and research assignments elsewhere, including Ukraine.

He holds a master's degree in African Studies from Oxford University and studied history at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Questions over what happened in Djibouti

The immediate question is what happened between Reddy and Mahmoud's arrival in Djibouti and the point at which colleagues lost contact with them.

At this stage, credible reports reviewed by LiveNow Africa do not establish when or where they were last seen, who last communicated with them, or whether Djiboutian security agencies have information about their whereabouts.

Those gaps are significant, and claims circulating on social media that go beyond the confirmed facts should therefore be treated cautiously.

CPJ's intervention puts pressure on the authorities to establish whether the journalists are safe and, if they have been detained, to disclose where they are being held and the legal basis for any detention.

“Journalists must be able to work without fear of disappearance or obstruction,” CPJ said.

The case is attracting particular concern because Djibouti occupies a strategically important position in the Horn of Africa, overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and hosting foreign military bases.

It is also emerging as an important point of arrival for people fleeing the escalating conflict across the Red Sea in Yemen. More than 2,350 people had reportedly reached Djibouti from Yemen by September 12, many arriving around the northern coastal area of Obock.

Whether Reddy and Mahmoud's reporting assignment was connected to those developments has not been independently established.

For now, the central fact remains unresolved: two journalists working in Djibouti have fallen out of contact, and authorities have yet to publicly account for their whereabouts.

Category: News

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