Erik Prince's Forces Ambushed in Congo; Ex-UFC Fighter Among Those Injured
A team working for Blackwater founder Erik Prince, an ally of Donald Trump, suffered casualties in an ambush in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Forces operating under Erik Prince, the founder of the private military company Blackwater and an ally of former President Donald Trump, were ambushed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, resulting in approximately 20 individuals killed or wounded. Among the injured was Tim Kennedy, a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contestant and a U.S. Army Green Beret veteran.
Kennedy sustained three gunshot wounds to the leg and is reportedly receiving treatment at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Kennedy is a public figure with a significant social media following and hosts a popular podcast. Trump has previously shown support for the UFC, hosting events at the White House.
The incident, which occurred on September 17 in South Kivu province, marks a significant battlefield loss for Prince's company, Vectus Global, which provides consulting and security services in the region. While Vectus Global has not previously reported casualties in Congo, the scale of this attack has not been previously disclosed.
Sources indicate that at least seven Congolese nationals and a former member of New Zealand's Special Forces were among the dead. The wounded, besides Kennedy, included another foreign contractor. Some reports suggest villagers may also have been among the casualties.
The sophistication of the ambush has led some sources to suggest the involvement of Rwandan forces, who are reported to be backing the M23 rebel group. One account suggests that Rwandan forces may have tracked a surveillance drone used by Prince's team to their location. The M23 rebels control significant territory in the eastern Congo, a region rich in minerals and plagued by decades of conflict.
Prince's involvement in Congo began with a mandate to help secure and improve revenue collection from the country's mineral resources. His forces were deployed to the city of Uvira earlier this year, assisting the Congolese army in securing the area against rebels.
Prince, who founded the private military firm Blackwater, has been a figure of controversy, with some of his former employees receiving presidential pardons for a 2007 incident in Iraq. The U.S. State Department has stated it has no contracts with Prince in Congo, though it plans to collaborate with Vectus Global in Haiti.
Officials from the Congolese and Rwandan governments, as well as spokespeople for the M23 rebels, the U.S. State Department, and Walter Reed, have either declined to comment or did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Kennedy's parents also did not respond to requests for information.