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By Tanya Waterworth, Duncan guy 
14h ago
Durban – Adrian Nel, the South African who was killed in the Islamic State (IS) raid in northern Mozambique last weekend, has been hailed as a hero as he continued to drive in an effort to save others despite receiving a shot.
He, his father Greg and his brother Wesley fled with others from the Amarula Palma Hotel on Friday last week after being ambushed by insurgents.
“Adrian was a hero,” his mother, Meryl Knox, said yesterday.
“Apparently Adrian ran from safety to retrieve an AK-47 that had been left behind. He then brought it back so that they at least had some kind of weapon with them, but apparently (the weapon) didn’t work.
“After they shot him, he continued to take them to safety, to get away from the ambush until he couldn’t drive anymore. My husband tried to do everything he could to stop Adrian’s bleeding and ended up spending the night with him in the bush.
“Fortunately, the DAG (Dyck Advisory Group) helicopters arrived in the morning. The guys from the helicopter went to retrieve the body. They were amazing, ”Knox said.
He said he understood that DAG, private military contractors, were the only people there, even though there were “a lot of people behind the scenes, trying,” Knox said yesterday.
Yesterday, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that SANDF troops had been dispatched to the northern province of Cabo Delgado to help secure the towns of Palma and Pemba.
Knox said Greg and Wesley were too traumatized to speak to the media, and were further distraught by a saga at King Shaka International Airport, where they arrived on Wednesday aboard the same plane carrying Nel’s body. Authorities recovered the body for further investigation related to terrorism.
She said her son, who would have turned 41 on April 1, would have liked to have a gathering of friends on the beach to celebrate his life rather than a formal event. This will take place once your Canadian wife’s parents can arrive in South Africa.
Meanwhile, Adrian’s brother Wesley is organizing a crowdfunding campaign with Back-a-Buddy to raise funds to help Nel’s widow and her three children.
Knox emphasized that the world must not forget what is happening in northern Mozambique.
On Wednesday of last week hundreds of insurgents stormed the town of Palma in Cabo Delgado, attacked shops and banks, leaving decapitated bodies and devastation in the streets. About 200 people took refuge in the hotel. Palma is the closest city to the site of French oil and gas giant Total and other international companies that had invested billions to extract liquefied natural gas offshore in what is believed to be among the largest natural gas discoveries. of the world.
Many expatriate foreign workers providing services or working for Total were based in Palma. Since the attack, Total has evacuated workers and suspended operations. Total had been restarting operations after a previous suspension in late December 2020 after a series of jihadist raids near its compound.
On Friday night of last week, the insurgents were outside the hotel and those trapped inside had to make a desperate attempt to escape by forming a convoy of vehicles or risk waiting until morning for help. After being alerted by her husband, a frantic Knox went online to reveal the chaos unfolding in Palma, with her story going global, even being broadcast on many of the world’s major news channels.
On Thursday, the spokesman for the Department of International Relations (Dirco), Clayson Monyela, confirmed that the 44 reported South Africans had been found.
“We were informed and we counted 44 South Africans. The embassy has said that there may be other South Africans missing since the attack, but we have not received any further reports or requests from families reporting someone missing. However, we will continue to track and locate.” Monyela said, adding that the government was working with the Mozambican authorities and providing consular services when necessary.
He said the 44 South Africans tracked had either returned to their homes or had been taken to safer regions of Mozambique.
On Monday, IS claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was carried out by the Central African province of the Islamic State, according to the extremist monitoring group SITE.
Seven people were killed during the hotel siege, according to Mozambique defense department spokesman Omar Saranga.
AFP reported yesterday that survivors of the attack continued to arrive in Pemba on Thursday. The report said dozens of people were killed during the coordinated attack, although thousands are believed to remain stranded.
“Jihadists reportedly beheaded residents and looted buildings in a rampage that forced thousands to seek safety in the surrounding forests. The attack is considered the largest escalation of the Islamist insurgency ravaging Cabo Delgado province since 2017.” said the AFP report.
The UN said nearly half of the 8,166 registered displaced people were children, many unaccompanied and injured.
“Many more people remain displaced within Palma, including thousands who have reportedly gathered near the Afungi complex, the site of the gas exploration project, where the security situation remains volatile,” the UN said, and He added that many were still fleeing on foot or by boat.
Doctors Without Borders said some of the displaced suffered fatal injuries.
On Wednesday, Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi said the attack “was not the largest” and in Afungi, the army commander, Chongo Vidigal, said the gas project remains “protected.”
This week, the African Union (AU) called for urgent and coordinated international action to jointly address the “urgent threat to regional and continental peace and security.”
Trouble has been brewing in Cabo Delgado since 2017 when rebel forces launched violent attacks. In August 2020, the insurgents seized the port of Mocimboa da Praia, some 60 kilometers south of Palma. The battles continued for a week and the rebels took control of the city and the port. They still retain control.
Total did not respond to a request for comment.
The Independent on Saturday
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