A South African man is among several abducted as insurgents attack a Mozambique hunting camp

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A South African man was abducted along with an estimated group of 15-20 Mozambican workers during an attack by insurgents last week on a hunting camp in northern Mozambique, South Africa’s foreign ministry said Monday.

The Department of International Relations and Cooperation told The Associated Press that the 30-year-old man was one of five South Africans working at the wildlife reserve who were caught up in the attack. The government did not clarify the status or whereabouts of the other four citizens who were not abducted.

“Embassy officials are working with Mozambican authorities and are monitoring the situation and developments in Niassa Province,” the department said.

The attack is thought to have been carried out by militants linked to the Islamic State group , who launched an insurgency in neighboring Cabo Delgado province in 2017.

The U.S. Embassy in Mozambique acknowledged the attack in a statement but didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment that three U.S citizens were evacuated from the area.

Mozambican police separately said at least 11 people, including children, were abducted during the attack on the town of Marangira in Niassa province. It wasn't immediately clear why there was a discrepancy in the number of people abducted between South African and Mozambican authorities.

Police spokesperson Osvaldo Mahando told Mozambique media that one person was killed, another slightly injured, and vehicles were burned in the attack.

Security forces were patrolling nearby forests, he said.

The insurgency has destabilized northern Mozambique, killing thousands and forcing more than 1 million people to flee their homes , according to the United Nations. The militants have also carried out attacks in 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, police post and telecommunications tower.

Citing provincial government figures, AIM said the attack forced thousands to flee and about 2,000 people were initially given shelter.

The attack prompted the U.S. Embassy to advise Americans to avoid the Niassa Special Reserve and areas near the Niassa-Cabo Delgado border.

Peter Bofin, a Southeast African expert at the conflict monitoring group Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), said the latest attack marked the group’s first incursion into Niassa since May 2025.

Although Bofin said the raid was probably an isolated operation rather than evidence of a sustained presence in Niassa, he said it demonstrated the militants’ 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,” he said.

Bofin said the camp offered an opportunity to seize supplies and strike an important economic target, undermining confidence in the government’s control of the region.

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