American Mercenaries Ambushed in Eastern DR Congo, 20 Dead or Wounded

What the report says

An ambush in South Kivu in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo left about 20 people dead or wounded, according to Nile Post’s report citing Reuters. The attack targeted personnel linked to Vectus Global, the private security and consulting firm founded by Erik Prince, and it has been described as a serious setback for the company’s work in a conflict zone.

The report said the team had been operating under contracts connected to President Félix Tshisekedi’s government, with its deployment later expanded into Uvira as fighting intensified. Among the wounded was Tim Kennedy, a former U.S. Green Beret, mixed martial arts fighter and podcast host, who was said to be receiving treatment in Maryland. Reuters, as cited by Nile Post, also reported that those killed included a former New Zealand Special Forces member and at least seven Congolese nationals.

The article said sources blamed M23 for the ambush, though that allegation had not been independently verified. The incident comes amid a wider conflict in eastern DR Congo, where the Rwanda-backed rebel group has seized major cities and set up parallel governing structures in parts of North Kivu and South Kivu. More broadly, the fighting has complicated Kinshasa’s efforts to secure mineral-rich territory and has drawn foreign security contractors into an increasingly dangerous environment.