The telephone call, organized by the ICRC offices in Khartoum and Washington on 13 June, lasted one hour. Members of the internee’s family, including his parents, brothers and sisters, spoke to him for the first time since his captivity began more than seven years ago. "The atmosphere of joy and happiness was overwhelming," said Arthur Milimo, ICRC data administrator in Khartoum, who has been tracing and reuniting families for 10 years. "Hearing the voices of family members must have been an incredibly uplifting experience."

Since the ICRC started visiting the Guantanamo internees in January 2002, it has facilitated the exchange of almost 40,000 Red Cross messages (brief messages containing family news) between those held captive and their families. "Writing letters is one thing, a very important thing indeed," said one of the internee’s brothers. "But when our mother heard my brother's voice it had a magical effect on her health."

For more than a year, Guantanamo internees have been allowed to telephone their families in special circumstances, such as when a death has occurred in their immediate family. Since 3 April 2008, they have also been authorized to make a one-hour call to their families each year. The calls are a vital source of reassurance that both sides are alive and well. So far, more than a dozen internees from Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and now Sudan have been able to speak for the first time by telephone with their families. Other internees are expected to soon take advantage of the same opportunity.

The ICRC, in its capacity as a strictly humanitarian and neutral body, arranges for family members to travel to its offices to speak by telephone with their loved ones in Guantanamo or other places of detention. In Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Arabian Red Crescent Society is responsible for organizing the calls.

The ICRC regularly assesses the conditions of captivity and treatment of Guantanamo internees. It offers observations and if necessary makes recommendations to the authorities for improvements.