British project manager dies in Mozambique hotel siege after refusing evacuation seat

During a March 2021 attack by the Isis-aligned Al Shabaab group on the Amarula Hotel in Palma, Mozambique, British project manager Philip Mawer chose to stay behind so that women and children could be evacuated first. After the initial helicopter evacuation, he entered a later convoy but refused a seat in an armored B6 truck, opting to drive another vehicle. An RPG strike hit his vehicle, resulting in immediate unconsciousness and death.

Mawer was the country manager for RA International, overseeing accommodation construction for Africa’s largest gas operation. The inquest highlighted that, although terrorist presence was known, the risk level had been assessed as low enough for the project to continue.