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Attacks by suspected Islamic State-affiliated militants in Cabo Delgado indicate the extremists’ determination to seize part of the country for themselves and establish a caliphate from which to plan and carry out further attacks in Mozambique and southern Africa. (Photo: supplied)
The South Africans are believed to have been killed on Friday when jihadist insurgents reportedly invaded a hotel in the coastal city of Palma in northern Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado province.
Several foreigners were killed when they tried to escape in a convoy from the Amarula Lodge where around 185 expatriates had been trapped, hiding in the vault, since insurgents attacked the town on Wednesday afternoon. Others died when the insurgents finally invaded the hotel. Many fled into the bush and the number of dead and wounded was impossible to estimate Friday night.
Security sources said that the foreigners in the hotel had been completely abandoned by Mozambican security forces, possibly because they had run out of ammunition.
South African private security firm Dyck Advisory Group (DAG) had held off insurgents with fire from its three light helicopter gunships until Friday afternoon. But then the DAG helicopters had to retreat because they ran out of fuel and then night fell, the sources said.
That left the expats in the hotel unprotected. When they saw that the insurgents appeared to have shifted their attention to a nearby location, a South African decided to lead an escape attempt, sources said.
A convoy of 17 vehicles ran towards him, but the nearby attack had apparently been only a distraction. The fleeing convoy ran into an insurgent ambush outside the hotel complex. Three vehicles were destroyed and seven people died. Only seven vehicles made it out, with between 40 and 50 people in them, but even some of them were killed, a security source said.
“There was a car with a husband, wife and two children that got out. But the husband was killed, “said a security source.
The rest of the foreigners returned to the hotel. But shortly after that, the insurgents managed to enter the strong chamber, causing panicked foreigners and locals to flee into the bush, sources said. Several died, including some South Africans.
“These people did not need to die. The entire international community has to take responsibility for this, ”said an angry security analyst. “They had three days to respond and no one did. These people died for no reason.
Jasmine Opperman, Africa analyst with the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) agreed. She tweeted: “Why, in the name of God, no action was taken in response to early warning intelligence. That is a misfortune.”
It is unclear whether the attack on Palma was in response to the return of French energy corporation Total, which is taking the lead in exploiting Rovuma’s vast offshore natural gas reserves off Cabo Delgado. Total is building its gas processing plant in Afungi, which is only 15 km from Palma. Total withdrew from the area in December due to insurgent attacks near its facilities.
On Wednesday this week, it announced that it would “progressively resume construction activities at the Afungi site, following the implementation of additional security measures.” Within hours, the insurgents had launched a full-scale attack in Palma, although it appears that they did not attack Afungi.
It is unclear what role helicopter gunships from Mozambique’s own security forces played in the battle. Some sources said that two Russian Mi24 helicopters and one Mi17 helicopter, manned by Ukrainians, had been deployed. But some security sources said that after one of these helicopters was hit by AK47 fire from the ground, all three withdrew from combat. Other sources said that one of the Mi24 crews had shot down a Mi17 when the helicopter was flying erratically and the Mi24 crew believed it had been hijacked. This could not be confirmed.
Lunga Ngqengelele, spokesperson for South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, told the Daily Maverick; “I can confirm as Dirco that we are aware of some of the South Africans who are in the situation in Mozambique. And through our mission (in Maputo) we are providing consular services, including finding ways to help them return home, for those who need to return home. ” DM / MC
This is a breaking story and we will continue to update it.
