Erik Prince Deploys Mercenaries to Democratic Republic of Congo
Erik Prince signed a multi-million dollar contract with the Democratic Republic of Congo to provide security and mining services to combat M23 rebels.
Founder of Blackwater Erik Prince has entered a contract worth hundreds of millions of dollars to provide security and mining services to the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Operating through Vectus Global, Prince deployed mercenaries and drones to the eastern highlands to combat the M23 rebel group, a force backed by Rwanda.
Recent military operations in the Minembwe Highlands resulted in significant casualties, including the death of former New Zealand Special Air Service soldier Justin Conaglen and the wounding of former U.S. Green Beret Tim Kennedy. Prince's forces are currently utilizing an airfield in Kalemie as a base for drone pilots and ground troops.
Beyond combat operations, the contract includes a tax-collection effort in Kinshasa designed to recover billions of dollars lost to mining fraud. While the United States government describes these ventures as private, the deployment aligns with a peace for minerals agreement between the U.S. and Congo. This agreement aims to secure American access to critical minerals such as cobalt to challenge Chinese dominance in the region.
