Mogadishu (ICRC) – As the month of Ramadan begins, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has launched its annual Ramadan food distribution to close to 5,000 detainees held in 11 places of detention across Somalia.
Each detainee receives a package containing dates, sugar, milk powder and biscuits. In addition, detention facility kitchens are supplied with essential food items including tea leaves, lentils, tomato paste, vegetable oil and goats to support meal preparations throughout Ramadan. This complementary support ensures that the spirit of the holy month is preserved, even in detention.
“Providing Ramadan support has become a cherished tradition for us. It is a symbolic gesture that reflects our commitment to ensuring that all persons deprived of liberty are treated humanely, with dignity and respect,” said Antoine Grand, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Somalia.
The detention programme is a core part of ICRC’s work in Somalia. The ICRC works closely with detention authorities to improve living conditions and treatment of detainees. Its activities include regular visits to places of detention to assess conditions, helping detainees stay in contact with their loved ones, providing medical support and supplies to detention health clinics, and improving infrastructure and sanitation.
In 2025, the ICRC conducted 56 visits to 20 places of detention across the country and visited 5,102 detainees, 566 of whom were followed individually.
As public attention on issues related to detention continues to grow, the ICRC calls on the media and digital content creators to handle such coverage responsibly. Respecting the privacy and dignity of detainees is essential as the publication of identifiable images may expose them or their family members to public curiosity and harm.
The ICRC currently visits over 700,000 detainees in more than 670 detention centres worldwide. Detention visits in Somalia started in 1977 during the Ogaden War. As a neutral, impartial and independent humanitarian organization, the ICRC also serves, when requested and agreed by all parties involved, as a neutral intermediary to facilitate humanitarian releases for detainees.
For more information, please contact:
Rahime Adan, ICRC, tel: +254 705 410 641, email radanissack@icrc.org
Fadumo Ali Jama (English/Somali), ICRC Mogadishu, +252 611 006 330, email falijama@icrc.org
or visit our website: www.icrc.org
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