British-South African Investigative Journalist Goes Missing in Djibouti

Djibouti City — South African journalist Roshan Micah Reddy and his Djiboutian fixer Kooki Mahmoud ha e been reported missing after losing contact in Djibouti City on Saturday afternoon, prompting urgent demands for answers from The African Editors Forum.

Reports say Reddy, the Africa Coordinator for the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and a dual British-South African citizen, was last heard from at approximately 1pm local time on 19 September 2026.

Neither man has been reachable since.

Reddy had been staying at the Escale International Hotel and was not reporting on Djibouti-related issues at the time of his disappearance.

London and Pretoria have both been notified, reports say.

“TAEF has learned with deep concern that South African journalist Micah Reddy has gone missing in Djibouti,” the forum stated in its formal release.

Authorities in the Horn of Africa nation have so far failed to respond to media inquiries about the pair.

The organisation is demanding immediate clarification of their whereabouts and confirmation of their well-being.

“Launch a prompt, transparent investigation into their disappearance, and keep their families, colleagues and employers fully and promptly informed,” TAEF insisted.

In the statement, TAEF Vice President Emmanuel Dogbevi stated the broader principle at stake.

“Journalists should be free to travel everywhere in the world without any form of restrictions,” he said.

TAEF has also urged the African Union Commission to press Djibouti authorities for full transparency.

“TAEF is gravely concerned about Reddy and Mahmoud’s safety,” the forum added, highlighting the need for swift official action as the search for information continues.

Reddy, before joining ICIJ, worked as an investigative reporter at South Africa’s amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism from 2017 to 2023, where he covered governance, corruption and stories linked to the GuptaLeaks aftermath, NUMSA mismanagement and businessman Zunaid Moti.

He previously served as national coordinator for media freedom and diversity at the Right2Know Campaign.

Reddy holds a master’s degree in African studies from Oxford University and a bachelor’s in history from the University of the Witwatersrand.

Earlier in his career he was managing editor at the Yemen Times in Sana’a and worked as an editor and freelance journalist in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East.

He arrived in Djibouti on Thursday, 17 September 2026, on a flight from Johannesburg via Addis Ababa, reports saying he intended a short stay of no more than three days for a long-term investigation unrelated to Djibouti itself.

Reports also say his wife, Nicole Beardsworth, and brother, Niall, have publicly expressed concern after contact ceased.

Local reports noted the Escale International Hotel is believed linked to the family of President Ismaïl Omar Guelleh.