A South African pilot, who had his leg amputated but was still flying, and a Mozambican policeman were killed on April 9, following an attack on the aircraft they were traveling in, in the Macomia district of Cabo Delgado province, allegedly carried out by Mozambican soldiers, writes the South African newspaper City Press.

According to City Press, quoted by Media Fax, South African pilot Mark Tout, 64, was hired by the Mozambican police to take part in combat actions against extremist insurgents operating in Cabo Delgado.

The Bat Hawk aircraft, manufactured in South Africa, has also disappeared and the Mozambican government forces claim that they fired on it because they thought it was an enemy target.

However, the bodies of the two victims have still not been found, despite the fact that the deaths took place earlier this month.

This understanding on the part of the military, continues City Press, is related to the fact that the aircraft was flying over the area in the dark of night at the time.

City Press points out that tensions between the army and the Mozambican police have been "brewing" for years.

The "generals" of the Armed Forces accuse the police of interference. But the tension is also galvanized by a better performance by the police in the fight against the insurgents in Cabo Delgado.

"The possibility that tensions between the two sides played a role in the downing of the aircraft cannot be ruled out," sources told the South African newspaper.

The South African authorities have not yet been informed of the details of the incident by their Mozambican counterpart.

City Press points out that the Macomia district, where the event took place, is the scene of violent fighting between government forces and rebels.

At least three soldiers died during an insurgent attack on one of the government forces' positions in Macomia.

The South African pilot who died in the incident had already crashed in 2020, when he was working for the mercenary company Dyck Advisory Group (DAG), which has signed controversial contracts with the Mozambican government.

Mark Tout had his leg amputated when he was young, following a motorcycle accident in South Africa, says a former friend Carys Smith.

Tout's other leg was narrowly missed as well, such was the severity of the accident, Smith added.

From the 2020 accident in Cabo Delgado, the pilot was seriously injured and his evacuation to South Africa was delayed due to the constraints created by the covid-19 pandemic.

The South African ambassador to Mozambique, General Siphiwe Nyanda, told City Press that last Friday the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation sent a diplomatic note to the Mozambican Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation requesting help in locating the bodies of the victims.

"The only response was that the Interior Ministry has been tasked with finding a solution," says the City Press report. As of the close of this edition, the police in Mozambique had not yet made any official comment on the matter.

However, sources linked to the Defense and Security Forces reported that Mark Tout helped locate the insurgents' bases with his equipment.

"Mark was fearless and lived by his own rules. He was eccentric and an adrenaline junkie. After losing his leg, he took up athletics, played field hockey and decided to become a professional hunter," said a source close to the driver.