A coroner has praised British contractor Philip Mawer as a courageous leader who prioritised women, children and colleagues during the 2021 terrorist siege of a hotel in Palma, Mozambique. Mawer, 58, was killed after giving up a helicopter place and declining an armoured vehicle, but the coroner said there was insufficient evidence to hold companies responsible for his evacuation.

Mawer worked for RA International on accommodation for TotalEnergies’ gas project when ISIS-linked militants attacked the town, reportedly killing as many as 1,400 people. His family argued that TotalEnergies’ Mozambican subsidiary hindered rescue efforts by refusing fuel to private contractor Dyck Advisory Group, but the company denied responsibility and the coroner concluded that the attack had overwhelmed everyone and that no corporation was obliged to organise Mawer’s rescue.