A South African national was among up to 20 workers abducted in Mozambique during an attack by insurgents on a hunting camp, South Africa’s foreign ministry announced Monday. The 30-year-old South African was one of five working at a wildlife reserve who were caught in the incident. Two of the five have returned to South Africa, while the other two remain safe within Mozambique.
Embassy officials are collaborating with Mozambican authorities to monitor the developing situation in Niassa Province, the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation stated. Three U.S. citizens are believed to have been safely evacuated from the affected area.
The attack is attributed to militants associated with the Islamic State group, which has been engaged in an insurgency in the neighboring Cabo Delgado province since 2017. Local police reported that at least 11 people, including children, were taken during the raid on the town of Marangira in Niassa Province. Police spokesperson Osvaldo Mahando indicated that one person died, another sustained minor injuries, and vehicles were set ablaze. Security forces are conducting patrols in adjacent forests.
The ongoing insurgency has significantly destabilized northern Mozambique, resulting in thousands of deaths and displacing over one million people, according to United Nations figures. The militants have extended their operations into the neighboring Niassa and Nampula provinces. Mozambique’s state news agency, Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (AIM), reported that the attackers looted and burned a hunting camp and damaged a health center, a police post, and a telecommunications tower. Provincial government figures cited by AIM indicate the attack forced thousands to flee, with approximately 2,000 people initially seeking shelter.
In response to the incident, the U.S. Embassy in Mozambique advised American citizens to avoid the Niassa Special Reserve and areas bordering Niassa and Cabo Delgado. Peter Bofin, a regional expert at the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data monitoring group, noted that this attack marks the group's first incursion into Niassa since May 2025. While Bofin suggested the raid was likely an isolated operation rather than indicative of a sustained presence, he highlighted the militants' demonstrated mobility. "The ability of one group of ISM (Islamic State Mozambique) fighters to enter Niassa and undertake that attack highlights that ISM still has an advantage in maneuverability in rural areas," Bofin said. He added that the camp presented an opportunity for militants to seize supplies and strike an economically significant target, thereby undermining government confidence in regional control.