Reuters reports casualties among Erik Prince's forces in Congo ambush

Personnel linked to Erik Prince's Vectus Global suffered casualties in a September 17 ambush in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Reuters reported on October 9. Sources cited by the agency said about 20 people were killed or wounded, including former UFC fighter Tim Kennedy.

Two sources working with Congo's government told Reuters that the dead included at least seven Congolese people and a former New Zealand special forces member. Three sources said Kennedy survived with three gunshot wounds to a leg and was receiving treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center near Washington. The hospital and U.S. State Department declined to comment, and Kennedy's parents did not respond.

Reuters said it interviewed at least 10 people with direct knowledge of the attack or briefings about its outcome. A Vectus Global representative declined to comment. Spokespeople for Congo, Rwanda and the M23 rebel group did not immediately respond. A Congolese security source also said villagers were likely among the casualties, leaving the precise composition of the reported toll unclear.

Sources described the Vectus team as travelling between locations when it was ambushed in South Kivu. Some alleged that Rwandan forces were involved. Reuters received no official confirmation of that allegation. The United Nations and Western governments say Rwanda backs M23, which Rwanda denies.

Prince's original role in Congo concerned security and revenue collection around mineral resources. His company's personnel later deployed to Uvira after a U.S.-brokered arrangement for Rwanda-backed rebels to withdraw. The reported losses reveal risks associated with that expanded battlefield role. The total size of the Vectus deployment remains unclear.