Maputo, May 8, 2025 (Lusa) - William, The Prince of Wales, on Thursday lamented the terrorist attack that killed two park rangers in Niassa, a Mozambican province, emphasising the "sacrifices" made by these professionals, whose work in Africa he has been promoting.
"This attack is yet another brutal reminder of the immense sacrifices made by those who protect our natural world. The reality is that being a ranger has become one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet. My thoughts are with all those affected and their families," wrote William, in a message posted on his official X social media account.
At least two rangers from the Niassa nature reserve in northern Mozambique have died and another two are missing following attacks by alleged rebels on the protected area in the neighbouring province of Cabo Delgado, it was announced on May 5.
The data provided in a press release by the Niassa Carnivores Project, one of the managers of the Mariri game hunting centre, in one of the private hunting areas of the Niassa nature reserve, indicates that a ranger was also injured following attacks by alleged terrorist groups in the nature reserve.
Last November in South Africa, the Prince of Wales presented a new initiative to support 10,000 rangers across Africa over the next five years and guarantee their work in defence of nature.
"Park rangers are essential if we are to meet our global conservation targets for 2030 and avoid the dangerous tipping points that threaten our planet," argued William, speaking at the opening of the United for Wildlife global summit in Cape Town.
"These people do much more than protect wildlife. They are educators, they are community advocates and they help regulate the sustainable use of natural resources," added the prince, whose foundation created the global association that gives the summit its name in 2013 to tackle the illegal wildlife trade.
Called the Ranger Welfare and Standards Initiative (RWSI), it was developed in conjunction with the African Ranger Association and the British non-governmental organisation (NGO) Tusk Trust.
The programme will run for five years and will be developed across the continent, providing 10,000 rangers with "access to adequate and affordable medical cover and insurance cover while on duty, along with opportunities for training and leadership development".
The Mariri game hunting camp is in a private hunting area of the Niassa nature reserve, the largest protected area in the country, covering an area of 42,000 square kilometres of land in eight districts that also includes Cabo Delgado, a northern region of Mozambique that has been facing an armed insurgency since 2017, and suffered an attack on 29 April, following another attack in the same reserve on 24 April.
The Niassa Carnivore Project said in the same statement that its team and part of its logistical resources have already been removed from the camp following the two attacks in the reserve.
"This episode represents a worrying expansion of the conflict that has ravaged the north of the country, now reaching one of Mozambique's most important conservation areas," the statement said.
The Mozambican Association of Safari Operators (AMOS) also expressed concern about the attacks by armed men in the nature reserve, calling for ‘calm’ for those who have hunting activities already scheduled.
AMOS says that situations of insecurity are only occurring in Niassa and Cabo Delgado, and that the conditions are in place for hunting and tourism in the other parts of the country.
On April 25, Mozambique's defence minister acknowledged the existence of terrorist groups in the nature reserve in Niassa province, following the first attack on the reserve.
"We know about them (...). They are terrorists and we are after them," said Cristóvão Chume.
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