Hajj 2025: Togolese woman gives birth at Arafat

Dubai: A Togolese woman participating in this year’s Hajj gave birth to a healthy baby on Thursday, marking the first recorded delivery at the holy site this season. Both mother and child are reported to be in good health.

The birth took place under the care of a specialised medical team, who ensured the safety and well-being of both the new mother and her newborn.

The woman was among 2,443 pilgrims from 100 countries hosted as part of the Guests of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’ Program for Hajj, Umrah, and Visitation, run by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance.

All guests in the programme settled into their accommodations at Arafat in an atmosphere of comfort and security, benefiting from an integrated suite of services and round-the-clock care provided by the ministry in cooperation with other state agencies.

The Ministry of Islamic Affairs said it had mobilised all available human and technical resources to ensure pilgrims could perform their rituals with ease, in line with the directives of the Saudi leadership.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj and Umrah confirmed the safe and seamless transfer of more than 1.67 million pilgrims to Mount Arafat, the climactic stage of the Hajj pilgrimage, with no security or health incidents reported.

The movement of pilgrims from Mecca and Mina to Arafat was carried out precisely as planned, coordinated through a unified Joint Operations and Dispatching Centre that linked regulatory and service agencies in real time.

Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE