A British project manager was killed during an attack by Islamic State-linked terrorists on a hotel in Mozambique in March 2021, an inquest has heard. Philip Mawer, 58, from Somerset, died instantly after a rocket-propelled grenade struck the vehicle he was traveling in while fleeing the besieged Amarula Hotel in Palma.

Mawer had been working in Mozambique as a project manager for RA International, contracted to build accommodation for workers involved in one of Africa’s largest gas operations. The northern region of Mozambique had been experiencing an ongoing Islamist insurgency prior to the Palma attack, but authorities had assessed the security risk as low enough to allow continued work on the gas project. An official evacuation order issued in December 2020 was later lifted, enabling staff to resume normal operations.

On March 24, 2021, Mawer returned to the Amarula Hotel for lunch amid what was described as a normal day, only to become trapped when the hotel was attacked by al-Shabaab, a terrorist group affiliated with Islamic State. When offered evacuation options the following day, Mawer reportedly declined, prioritizing women and children by allowing them to leave first. He also turned down a secure place in an armored B6 vehicle, opting instead to travel in another vehicle.

The evacuation was carried out by the South African private military company Dyck Advisory Group, which managed to evacuate 23 people from the area. Shortly after departure, a rocket fired from a rocket-propelled grenade launcher struck the vehicle Mawer occupied, causing fatal injuries to his arm, brain, and spinal cord. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

During the inquest hearing in Winchester, Hampshire, colleagues and friends described Mawer as kind, honest, and well-liked. Project manager Gordon Rhattigan said Mawer was “very kind, very funny, and very down to earth” and that he was respected among the Palma community. RA International’s chief operating officer Lars Narfeldt noted Mawer’s selflessness in declining evacuation opportunities to let others go first.

The inquest into Mawer’s death, which has highlighted the complexities of operating in conflict-affected areas and the personal decisions made under life-threatening conditions, is ongoing.