By Jessica Donati
DAKAR, Oct 9 (Reuters) – Blackwater founder Erik Prince’s forces suffered a major battlefield loss in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in mid-September when enemy forces ambushed them, killing and wounding at least 20 people, including a popular former UFC fighter, sources close to the government and his company said.
The frontline clash shows how Prince, an ally and supporter of US President Donald Trump, has taken on an expanded role in Congo through his company Vectus Global. The company, which also operates in Haiti and other parts of Africa, provides consulting and security services and previously helped Congo’s army secure the city of Uvira in South Kivu against Rwanda-backed rebels who control swathes of the east.
A veteran special operator reported on his podcast earlier this week that former US Green Beret and Ultimate Fighting Championship contestant Tim Kennedy was injured in Congo. The involvement of Prince’s forces and the number of casualties have not previously been reported.
The attack in South Kivu on September 17 left about 20 dead and wounded, two sources working with Congo’s government said. The dead included at least seven Congolese and a former member of New Zealand’s Special Forces, while the wounded included Kennedy and another foreign contractor, the sources said.
A Vectus Global representative declined to comment. The company has not previously suffered casualties in Congo, a source with direct knowledge of the operation said.
One of the sources who works for Congo’s government said that Rwandan forces backing the M23 rebels may have surprised them by tracking a drone used for surveillance operations to their location.
Spokespeople for the Congolese and Rwandan governments and for the M23 did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kennedy, the former mixed martial arts fighter, survived the attack with three gunshot wounds to the leg, three sources said, and is being treated at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in the suburbs of Washington.
Kennedy has a popular podcast channel and millions of followers on social media. Trump is a fan of UFC, hosting fights at the White House this year.
The US State Department and Walter Reed declined to comment. Kennedy’s parents did not respond to requests for comment.
A Congolese security source, who said some 20 people were wounded and killed in the attack, added that villagers were likely among the casualties as well. Reuters spoke to at least 10 sources either with direct knowledge of the attack or briefed on the outcome.
PRINCE TOOK EXPANDED ROLE IN CONGO’S CONFLICT
Prince’s initial mandate in Congo was to secure and improve revenue collection from the country’s vast mineral reserves, which have been plundered for decades, fuelling relentless conflict in the east.
But in January and early February, his forces deployed to Uvira after Washington helped broker a deal for Rwandan-backed rebels to withdraw from the strategic town.
The size of Prince’s forces in Congo is unclear.
One of the sources with direct knowledge of the attack said the Vectus team was travelling between locations when the ambush took place and its sophistication suggested Rwandan forces were involved.
“It reinforces the need for DRC sovereignty to be restored. It’s an incredibly dangerous place right now,” the source said.
Two other sources said the ambush was carried out by the Rwandan military.
Prince is the founder of now-defunct private military firm Blackwater, some of whose members were pardoned in 2020 for killing Iraqi civilians.
The State Department has said it does not have any contracts with Prince in Congo, though US officials have said they plan to work more closely with Vectus Global in Haiti.
The deal for Rwandan-backed rebels to withdraw from Uvira was part of wider agreements brokered by the Trump administration to try to end the conflict in eastern Congo.
POPULAR PODCASTER
Kennedy, a father of four, has posted his views on politics, culture, fitness and more on social media. He also runs a popular YouTube podcast in which he interviews UFC fighters, veterans, cultural disruptors and others.
He has often posted about his family, including four young children. In late August, he posted about having “incredible conversations about what being a man means and what sacrifice really looks like” with his son. He did not disclose details about his upcoming trip to Congo.
The United Nations and Western powers say Rwanda backs M23, even exercising command and control over the group. Rwanda denies this. Fighting in the decades-long conflict flared early last year, with M23 fighters making rapid gains in the east, which is rich in tantalum, gold, lithium and other minerals.
(Additional reporting by Clement Bonnerot in Dakar and David Lewis in London; Writing by Jessica Donati; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
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