Africa-Press. At least three Americans were evacuated after armed individuals, suspected to be affiliated with a rebel group, attacked a camp partially owned by football coach Carlos Queiroz, located within a wildlife reserve in northern Mozambique.
Queiroz, who coaches the Ghanaian national team, stated that he is awaiting information from military and security authorities to ascertain the facts of the incident. He added, according to a local source: “From the images I have been able to see, it appears that the entire facility has been burned.”
Queiroz also confirmed from Lisbon that the area is currently closed due to security concerns and that he does not have direct information from the site of the incident.
The independent English-language newspaper “Zitamar News” was the first to report on the incident late Thursday, indicating the possibility of casualties.
Regional analyst Tertius Jacobs expressed his belief that the assailants may have kidnapped several civilians, although none of these reports could be verified.
Since 2017, Mozambique has been grappling with a rebellion linked to the terrorist organization ISIS in the gas-rich Cabo Delgado province in the north of the country, a conflict that has resulted in thousands of deaths and the displacement of hundreds of thousands.
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department stated that the U.S. embassy in Mozambique is aware of the attack targeting a hunting lodge near the Niassa Reserve, close to Cabo Delgado, which is one of Africa’s largest protected wilderness areas, but did not confirm whether any Americans were harmed in the attack.
The spokesperson, who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, according to a local source, stated that the camp was burned, but no confirmed fatalities have been reported. They added that the three Americans were outside the camp on a hunting trip when the attack occurred, and that staff fled the site while the Mozambican military intervened.
The U.S. State Department had previously warned its citizens against traveling to the Niassa Reserve for any reason, noting that terrorists had targeted luxury hunting lodges within and near the area, taking hostages.
Last year, a similar attack occurred in the Niassa Reserve, during which a tourist camp was destroyed, and six people were killed, including four reserve guards, during clashes.
Hunting large game in the reserve, which runs from May to November, often attracts groups from the United States.
Jacobs, an analyst at the “Fox Group” monitoring the rebellion, stated that the attack took place near the village of Marangueira in the Niassa province, and that the assailants kidnapped several civilians and looted supplies before withdrawing towards Cabo Delgado.
He added that available information confirms the reports of three Americans being affected, but noted that the numbers of casualties and kidnappings remain unverified.
