Americans Evacuated After Insurgents Burn Mozambique Lodge
Americans Evacuated After Insurgents Burn Mozambique Lodge
The News
At least three Americans were evacuated after suspected insurgents attacked and burned a hunting camp in a wildlife reserve in northern Mozambique, a source familiar with the incident told Reuters on Friday.
The three Americans were out hunting when the attack hit the camp near the Niassa Special Reserve, close to the insurgency-hit province of Cabo Delgado, the source said. Camp staff fled and Mozambique's military responded.
There were no confirmed fatalities, according to that source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.
What Is Not Confirmed
Zitamar News, an independent Mozambican publication that first reported the attack late Thursday, suggested there had been deaths. Regional security analyst Tertius Jacobs said he believed insurgents also abducted several civilians. Neither the reported deaths nor the abductions could be independently verified.
Timeline
Mozambique's gas-rich northern province of Cabo Delgado comes under attack from an Islamic State-linked insurgency. The conflict has since killed thousands and driven more than 1.3 million people from their homes.
A similar attack in the Niassa Reserve destroys a tourist camp and kills six people, including four rangers, during skirmishes. In late 2025 alone, 100,000 people are displaced by the fighting.
The State Department warns Americans not to travel to the Niassa Special Reserve for any reason, saying terrorists have targeted upscale hunting lodges in and near the area and taken hostages.
Zitamar News is first to report the attack, suggesting there were fatalities.
A source familiar with the incident says at least three Americans have been evacuated and that the camp was burned. The State Department confirms the U.S. Embassy in Mozambique is aware of an attack on a hunting lodge near the reserve.
Reactions
The camp is co-owned by football coach Carlos Queiroz, who manages Ghana's national team and was Sir Alex Ferguson's assistant manager at Manchester United. Speaking to Reuters by telephone from Lisbon, Queiroz said he was waiting on information from military and security authorities to establish what happened.
"From the images I have access to, it appears that the entire establishment has been burned down," Queiroz said. He added that the area is currently off-limits because of the insecurity and that he has no direct information from the site.
A State Department spokesman said the U.S. Embassy in Mozambique was aware of an attack on a hunting lodge close to the Niassa Special Reserve, but did not confirm whether Americans had been involved.
Jacobs, an analyst with Focus Group, which monitors the insurgency, said the attack took place near Marangira village in Niassa province, and that insurgents abducted several civilians and looted supplies before retreating toward Cabo Delgado. He said available information supported reports that three Americans were affected, though casualty figures and the number of people abducted remain unverified.
The Mozambican government did not respond to a request for comment.
What's Next
Mozambique's military has responded to the attack, and verification of the reported deaths and abductions rests with authorities on the ground — an area Queiroz says is currently off-limits.
The State Department's existing warning against travel to the Niassa Special Reserve remains the government's standing advice to Americans. Big-game hunting season in the reserve runs from May through November and regularly draws hunting parties from the United States, meaning more American groups are in the region right now.
More
The insurgency in northern Mozambique is waged by an Islamic State-affiliated group known locally as al-Shabab, which has no connection to the Somali group of the same name. The country has been hit by the violence for nine years, and attacks have been surging since last August, driving thousands more from their homes.
Poll
Should the State Department do more to keep Americans out of active insurgency zones?
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