KINSHASA--Blackwater founder Erik Prince deployed a private security force to operate drones and help Democratic Republic of Congo's army secure the strategic city of Uvira against Rwanda-backed rebels, four people briefed on the mission said.
The AFC/M23 rebels briefly seized the city on the border with Burundi in December in a major blow to ongoing U.S. and Qatar-backed peace negotiations. They withdrew after Washington threatened to retaliate.
Prince, a supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump and who founded the now defunct private security firm Blackwater, had been hired by the government in Kinshasa to help secure and improve tax revenue collection from Congo's vast mineral reserves.However, the operation to help elite forces recapture Uvira from AFC/M23 rebels is the first known involvement of Prince's private security forces on the frontline in Congo, widening his role in the decades-long conflict.
A spokesperson for Prince declined to comment. The Congolese presidency and a local army spokesperson did not respond to queries.
One of the sources, a senior security official in Congo, said the presence of U.S.-linked contractors would likely act as a deterrent to AFC/M23 forces, which may be unwilling to risk direct confrontation with Prince's personnel.The U.S. has offered Congo support brokering an end to the conflict in return for access to the nation's critical mineral resources.
While it is not clear whether the involvement of Prince on Congo's frontlines was endorsed by Washington, the operation to help the Kinshasa government retake Uvira followed U.S. calls for the rebels to withdraw.The U.S. State Department said it did not hold any contracts with Prince or any of his companies.
The Congolese security official said the operation is "in line with the minerals-for-security deal."
Prince's team in Congo deployed to Uvira at Kinshasa's request, one of the sources said, to bolster their efforts at a critical time. The team has since withdrawn and returned to its primary mission, which is improving revenue collection from mining.
