South African taken hostage by terrorist group right next door

The South African government is reportedly working with Mozambican authorities after a South African man was taken hostage during an attack by Islamist insurgents in neighbouring Mozambique.

Local news outlets reported that the man was among a group of up to 20 workers abducted during an attack on a hunting camp in the remote Niassa province last week.

South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) told The Associated Press that five South Africans working at the wildlife reserve were caught up in the attack.

Two of the South Africans have since returned home, while another two remain safe in Mozambique. The remaining man is believed to be among those abducted by the insurgents.

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

The attack took place in the area surrounding the Marangira Game Reserve, officially known as Coutada de Marangira, a vast 400,000-hectare wilderness concession in northwestern Mozambique.

Mozambican police said at least 11 people, including children, were abducted during the attack on the town of Marangira.

Mozambique’s police spokesperson Osvaldo Mahando told local media that one person was killed and another injured during the attack. Vehicles were also set alight.

Mozambique’s state news agency, Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique, reported that the attackers looted and burned a hunting camp. A health centre, police post, and a telecommunications tower were also damaged.

The attack has raised concerns about the continued reach of Islamist insurgents operating in northern Mozambique.

Following the incident, the US Embassy warned Americans against travelling to the Niassa Special Reserve and areas near the border between Niassa and Cabo Delgado.

The insurgents are believed to belong to Islamic State Mozambique (ISM), an affiliate of the global Islamic State extremist network. The group is also known locally as Ansar al-Sunna or al-Shabaab.

ISM is well known for extortion and kidnappings for ransom

ISM operates primarily in Cabo Delgado, where a long-running insurgency has killed thousands of people and displaced large numbers of residents.

However, the group has periodically carried out attacks beyond the province, including incursions into neighbouring Niassa and Nampula.

Peter Bofin, a regional expert at conflict monitoring organisation Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, said the latest attack was the group’s first known incursion into Niassa since May 2025.

While he said the raid was likely an isolated operation rather than evidence of a permanent insurgent presence in the province, it demonstrated the militants’ ability to move across large and remote areas.

“The ability of one group of ISM fighters to enter Niassa and undertake that attack highlights that ISM still has an advantage in manoeuvrability in rural areas,” Bofin said.

The group has become notorious for brutal attacks on civilians, including massacres, beheadings, arson attacks and kidnappings. Women and children have frequently been among those targeted.

Its operations are funded through a combination of extortion, kidnappings for ransom, control of artisanal mining activities and support from central Islamic State networks.

Newsday has contacted the Department of International Relations and Cooperation about the incident and will add its comment once it receives a response.