Though the two countries were officially at peace, German soldiers carried out a cross-border raid into Portuguese Mozambique for unclear reasons, and destroyed the outpost of Maziua.

News about the conflict in Europe spread slowly in some of the more remote parts of the African colonies, resulting in confusion about which country was at war with whom.

Before retreating back into German East Africa, Weck's soldiers burned Maziua to the ground, while leaving the dead unburied.

[4] Due to Maziua's extreme remoteness, news about the raid only reached the Mozambiquan capital Lourenço Marques four months later, on 15 December 1914.

[10][3] Though military clashes between German and Portuguese soldiers continued in Africa from 1914 to 1915, most notably in Angola,[8][2] Portugal officially remained neutral until 1916.

Portuguese forces suffered heavy losses in the East African campaign, and northern Mozambique was devastated by a German invasion in the war's latter stages.