Adrian Nel as killed when he fled the attacks in a convoy leaving the Amarula Hotel in Palma, Mozambique, during insurgent attacks in March. File picture: Pexels
DURBAN - MERYL Knox, the mother of slain Durban diver Adrian Nel, condemned a statement from Amnesty International which alleged that the rescue attempts by the South African private military company Dyck Advisory Group were jeopardised by racial discrimination.
Nel was killed when he fled the attacks in a convoy leaving the Amarula Hotel in Palma, Mozambique, during insurgent attacks in March, while Knox’s younger son, Wesley and her husband, Greg, were eventually rescued.
“My blood is boiling! Amnesty International’s Deprose Muchena wrote a damning, inaccurate and untruthful report stating only whites were rescued by helicopter at the Amarula Hotel by the DAG guys, you owe them and everyone else an apology!” she stated.
Survivors of the attack by the armed group known locally as Al-Shabaab in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado region told Amnesty International that white contractors were prioritised for evacuation ahead of black locals, in disturbing testimony that they said pointed to blatant racism.
The Amnesty International statement alleged an estimated 220 civilians sought refuge in the Amarula Palma Hotel. Of these, around 200 were black nationals, and about 20 white contractors. In the days that followed, Dyck Advisory Group rescued some contractors from the hotel.
It said white contractors were prioritised to be airlifted to safety; black nationals were left to fend for themselves. Muchena, Amnesty International’s regional director for East and Southern Africa said, “Witnesses told us of racial discrimination about who to evacuate. These are alarming allegations that the rescue plan was racially segregated, with white contractors receiving preferential treatment.”
Muchena said the evacuations were racist and must be thoroughly investigated. Dyck Advisory Group said it was aware of the racial allegations by Amnesty International, but DAG was committed to its human rights obligations and proud of its team efforts which resulted in one of, if not the largest, helicopter rescue operation of civilians during a battle in modern times.
Knox said the statement invited unnecessary racial discord and failed to do any research before publishing the attack on Dyck Advisory Group.
Amnesty International was unavailable for comment on the merit of its statement when Daily News contacted it.
lorna.charles@inl.co.za
Daily News
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