A heroic British contractor sacrificed his life to ensure women and children were rescued during an Islamist attack in an unsuspecting seaside resort.
A coroner ruled that Philip Mawer, a 58-year-old from Somerset, died as a direct result of his bravery during an Islamic State-backed siege in Mozambique.
Mr Mawer was killed on March 26 2021 when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle as a convoy fled the besieged Amarula Hotel in the coastal town of Palma.
He had turned down a place on a rescue helicopter to let women, children and the sick escape first.
The Briton also refused a seat in an armoured vehicle, opting instead to travel in his own unprotected car with two passengers.
Hampshire coroner Jason Pegg praised Mr Mawer’s “gallantry”, finding that his selfless decision to let others go ahead of him contributed to his death.
The militant assault on Palma by the IS-linked group Al-Shabaab left as many as 1,400 people dead.
The attack on the hotel and the wider Palma area was described at Mr Mawer’s inquest as “the biggest terrorist attack since 9/11”.
Philip Mawer was hailed as a hero
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Mr Mawer had been working as a project manager for RA International, a firm contracted to construct workers’ accommodation for what was described as the largest gas operation on the African continent.
The project was overseen by French energy giant TotalEnergies, one of the world’s seven supermajor oil companies.
“Philip would have known the atrocities being committed just beyond that compound wall, the killings, the amputations, the beheadings,” Mr Pegg told the inquest at Winchester Coroner’s Court.
“Your brother was a true leader. He put his team and others first before himself and he did so at a time when it was very likely he was in fear, stressed and scared,” the coroner told Mr Mawer’s brothers, Bill and Mark.
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The Sea Star 1 evacuated around 1,400 people after insurgents attacked the city of Palma
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“He was known for his generosity, sense of humour, lust for life, thoughts echoed by others who knew and worked with Philip.”
The coroner described him as “someone who made the impossible possible”.
“Despite the threat to Philip personally, despite the hostile environment in which he found himself, Philip had the character, the gallantry, to put women and children first and I am sure you two brothers and the wider family are proud of Philip and rightly so,” Mr Pegg said.
“It’s also clear to me you miss your brother greatly.”
TotalEnergies’ Mozambican subsidiary TEPMA1 faced criticism at the inquest for declining to supply fuel to Dyck Advisory Group, a private military contractor carrying out rescue operations during the attack.
Lawyers representing Mr Mawer’s family contended that TEPMA1 had “assumed responsibility” for contractors’ safety by suggesting the area was secure.
They said its refusal to provide fuel for rescue missions “would have saved his life”.
TEPMA1 denied any such responsibility and rejected claims it could have prevented Mr Mawer’s death.
Mr Pegg ruled that insufficient evidence existed to hold any corporation accountable for organising an evacuation.
“There’s not evidence before me that any corporation had or should have assumed responsibility to formulate an evacuation plan for Philip or affect a rescue for Philip,” he explained.
He added he was not “satisfied that the absence of provision of fuel by any companies to DAG contributed to Philip’s death”.
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